


winter fire

by akaashilily



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hockey, Alternate Universe - Skating, Figure Skater AU, Fluff, Getting Together, Getting to Know Each Other, Hockey, Hockey player!Bokuto, Ice Skating, M/M, Slice of Life, figure skater!akaashi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:48:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,807
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24221596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akaashilily/pseuds/akaashilily
Summary: "I, myself, am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions."Augusten BurroughsorAfter the X Hockey Team sets off fireworks and damages the roof of their ice rink, they are forced to use the figure skating rink.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou, Miya Atsumu/Sakusa Kiyoomi, Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Tsukishima Kei/Yamaguchi Tadashi
Comments: 110
Kudos: 391





	1. shake it

**Author's Note:**

> hi everyone! this is my first fanfic ever so please be kind. i'm really excited to get this going along. i hope everyone enjoys it!

Akaashi Keiji had spent the better part of his life on the ice. His family owned a ski resort deep in the mountains, miles away from any other establishment. This seclusion and the subsequent loneliness led him to the ice rink, a place where his body became his form of self-expression, the ice a canvas. It also led him to the  _ sk8r boys _ . The  _ sk8r boys _ consisted of his closest friends who he had skated with since childhood, gathering new members sporadically over the years. While Akaashi did not consider himself to be particularly social, his friends were those he would not trade for the world. 

“Be honest, how does this look?” A loud voice brought Akaashi out of his thoughts and towards the others in the locker room. Oikawa Tooru, an old family friend of his, stood before the group of friends in a beautiful and simple outfit, presumably for the upcoming competition. Sugawara Koushi, Oikawa’s partner for pair skating, is dressed in a similarly elegant outfit, giving the group a small twirl. The complimentary costumes are black or midnight blue (it’s hard to tell in the dim lighting of the locker room) with sequins sparse at the top, pooling at the bottom. Akaashi thinks they look like stars.

“It is a good look for the two of you,” Akaashi tells the duo, nodding in approval. Oikawa and Suga were known for their beautiful outfits and their even more elegant programs, which were predominantly focusing on space. One time when they were younger, Oikawa dressed as an alien and Suga as an astronaut. Next to Akaashi, Sakusa Kiyoomi looks the two over.

“It looks nice,” Sakusa eventually tells them. Oikawa, pleased with their approval, moves on further into the locker room in order to get praise from the younger skaters. Suga sits down on a bench near Sakusa and Akaashi.

“Did you two hear about what happened to the ice rink that the hockey team uses?” Suga asks. Akaashi had heard plenty about what had happened at dinner the previous night, his mother complaining loudly about how members of the hockey team set off fireworks inside the building, which severely damaged the roof and closed the ice rink indefinitely. Something about turning her hair grey. Despite living at the ski resort, Akaashi has never had the opportunity to meet members of the hockey team. This did not include Kageyama Tobio, who also pair skated with Hinata Shoyo. Despite being two of the younger members of the club, they are often regarded as some of the best. 

“I did. I also heard that they will be invading our rink until the roof on their rink can be fixed.” Sakusa began to put his skates on, looking up to get confirmation from Akaashi. It was not hard to figure out that Sakusa was not thrilled about sharing his space with sweaty, dirty hockey players. Because of his mysophobia, the rink was thoroughly cleaned every night. However, Sakusa oftentimes supplemented this with cleaning his locker and the shared spaces that he encountered quite obsessively.

“They will be. They are scheduled for practice later today,” Akaashi tells his friends. “My mother made their practice times later in the day so as to not take away much of our practice time.” 

“Better than the alternative, I suppose,” Sakusa replies as he finishes putting on his skates. All three of the skaters stand and begin to make their way out towards the rink. As they approach the rink, they spot Oikawa messing with the three younger members of the club. Suga rolls his eyes as he marches over and grabs his partner by the back of his outfit.

“Come on, idiot. We need to change out of our costumes,” Suga tells Oikawa, who is sticking his tongue out at his juniors. The silver haired skater continues to drag the taller away, back into the locker room. 

“Akaashi-san, Sakusa-san, good morning!” Hinata greets the two, waving enthusiastically. The short ginger was dressed in casual practice wear, his shirt bearing the name of the ski resort.

“Be quieter, dumbass!” Kageyama yells at Hinata, elbowing him in the side. Hinata turns to Kageyama, yelling about his hypocrisy.

“Maybe we should all be quieter!” Yamaguchi Tadashi frantically tries to calm both of his friends down, waving his arms around. Sakusa lets out a huff of air, ignoring the three juniors as he steps onto the ice and begins warming up. Akaashi looks to Sakusa’s retreating figure, then approaches the three juniors quietly.

“Hinata, Kageyama, there are other people here. Please be quieter,” Akaashi advises them in a calm voice, placing his hands upon his hips. Immediately, the two juniors in question straighten up and nod their heads stiffly. Yamaguchi gives a small, awkward smile, bowing his head. “Our practice time will be cut a little short for a while, as the hockey team needs to use our ice rink for the time being. I suggest that you three practice while you can.”

At that, Kageyama and Hinata race towards the ice rink, shoving each other in an attempt to get ahead. Their bickering can be heard all around the ice rink, Akaashi’s scolding quickly forgotten in favor of their competition. Yamaguchi follows behind the pair, beginning to warm up once on the ice. 

A small smile creeps onto Akaashi’s face at the sight of his friends on the rink, warming up to begin to practice for the upcoming competition. All of said friends were quite talented at figure skating, gliding gracefully over the ice. After a brief moment of reflection, Akaashi joins his friends beginning to warm up and glide over the nearly untouched ice under his feet. Each time Akaashi stepped onto the rink, he felt free from the shackles of the ground. Here, he could soar and climb into the clouds, floating sans worry. Despite the noise from the other skaters, Akaashi felt as if he was the only one present, beginning to skate his program. He landed every jump, his body feeling light as a feather as he flowed across the ice. 

His thoughts were interrupted once more by the sound of ruckus from the entrance to the rink. Akaashi frowned, glancing around at the other skaters, who looked similarly perplexed at the new noise. 

“I will go check it out,” Akaashi informs his friends, skating effortlessly towards the exit of the rink. Once off the ice, Akaashi slides his blade covers onto his skates before making his way towards the entrance of the ice rink. Upon approaching the entrance, the figure skater spots several large and muscular men, looking around cluelessly, all donning jackets that say X Hockey Club. 

“Hello, can I help you?” Akaashi asks once he is close enough. The man at the front of the group who is facing away from Akaashi turns, meeting the figure skater with large golden eyes. The man’s hair is defying gravity, strands of black and white hair sticking up obnoxiously. His mouth opens slightly, gaping at Akaashi. This newfound and uncomfortable attention begins to make Akaashi worry that there is something on his face or that his hair is out of place. “...Is something wrong?” He settles on asking the newcomer.

“Bo, say something,” A man next to the anti-gravity hockey player - Bo? - quietly says, nudging him in the side. This knocks some sense into him, causing him to blink then thrust his hand out, nearly jabbing Akaashi in the chest. 

“Hi! My name is Bokuto Koutarou. I’m the captain of the X Hockey Club. I know our practice doesn’t begin for a while, but we wanted to look around and get our bearings before practice! I was told to look for an…” Bokuto rattles off, speaking without taking a breath. At the stall in his speech, he searches his pockets quickly and roughly, then eventually pulls out a paper and makes a small ‘aha!’ noise. “An Akaashi Keiji. You wouldn’t happen to know him?” 

“I am Akaashi Keiji,” Akaashi replies, calmly. He takes Bokuto’s hand in his own and gives a firm handshake. Compared to his soft and carefully moisturized hands, Bokuto’s are calloused and rough. The contact ended quickly as Akaashi released Bokuto’s hand, instead focusing on taking in the new faces of the hockey team. “I can show you all to the locker room. We set aside an area in there for your use.”

“Thanks! You’re the best, Akaashi,” Bokuto claps Akaashi on the shoulder, smiling brightly. Akaashi nods, leading the group towards the locker room. He is all too aware of the eyes on him, looking him over. This used to make him nervous and uncomfortable. However, he became accustomed to this after many skating competitions where every person in the building has their eyes locked onto the raven-haired skater. Once they reach the locker room, Akaashi shows them to the farthest section, where the lockers were cleared for the hockey team. The members of the team quickly go to claim their own locker, shouting excitedly. Akaashi was silently glad that Sakusa was not in the locker room, for he would likely be cringing profusely at the newfound assemblage of oversized men fighting over lockers. 

“Thank you for letting us into your rink,” Bokuto thanks him, bowing deeply. Akaashi nods at Bokuto, putting on a small smile.

“You are welcome, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi replies, Bokuto standing up straight once more with a toothy grin on his face. He then quickly turns to his teammates.

“Everyone! Introduce yourselves to Akaashi!” Bokuto yells to everyone, who all stop fighting over the lockers to look at the figure skater. Now, they begin to fight over what order they will introduce themselves. Akaashi scratches his head, slightly confused at the disorder. Eventually, the team settles on an order to introduce themselves. 

“Thank you for allowing us to practice here. My name is Iwaizumi Hajime,” A man shorter than the rest introduces himself, bowing his head to Akaashi, then quickly moving onto claiming a locker. Next, the man who elbowed Bokuto earlier to bring him out of his stupor approaches Akaashi with a cat-like grin on his face.

“A pleasure to meet you, the name is Kuroo Tetsurou,” He introduces himself. His hair is quite disheveled, matching the rest of his outfit. Akaashi briefly shakes his hand before he moves on, whispering with Bokuto not far from Akaashi.

“I apologize for the rest of the team. They are really rowdy. My name is Sawamura Daichi,” A plain, yet buff man introduces himself next, a pleasant smile on his face. “I’m friends with a skater here, actually. Suga. Do you know him?” 

“I do. Suga and I are close friends,” Akaashi replies, nodding to

Sawamura. He makes a mental reminder to ask Suga about this man later, once he is done with the introductions of the hockey team. 

“Over there, that’s Tsukishima Kei. He doesn’t really like interactions,” Sawamura introduces his friend, pointing over at a tall blonde with glasses, who is grimacing at the rest of his teammates as he calmly claims a locker and goes to put his gear in it. 

“Don’t forget about us!” A voice chimes in behind Daichi with a peculiar accent, where two boys, one with grey hair and the other with blonde hair, stand.

“These are the Miya twins. The one with the grey hair is Osamu and the one with blonde hair is Atsumu,” Daichi explains, looking at Akaashi apologetically. Akaashi nods his head at the twins, giving them a tight smile.

“Well, it has been a pleasure to meet all of you. Please, make use of our locker room. You are welcome to explore the facility and watch us on the ice. Please, do not set off any fireworks,” Akaashi says, bowing to the hockey team, and heading out of the locker room. While he didn’t mind meeting new people, it was not his favorite activity. Akaashi considers himself an introvert, content with his small group of friends. 

Once at the ice, Akaashi slides the blade protectors off the skates and enters the rink. Immediately all of the skaters are at Akaashi’s side, looking at him with wide eyes. The only one still practicing was Sakusa.

“...Yes?” Akaashi asks, uncertain and confused as to why he has all of the attention.

“So, how are they? Are they nice? Cool?” Hinata immediately begins his barrage of questions, inching closer to Akaashi with every inquiry. Kageyama grabs the back of his shirt, holding him back and out of Akaashi’s personal space. 

“Anyone  _ hot _ ?” Suga asks, a devilish grin on his face. Oikawa lets out a loud gasp, clutching his chest.

“Suga-chan! How  _ dare _ you!” Oikawa exclaims incredulously. Suga rolls his eyes, slapping Oikawa upside the head. The taller of the two rubs his head, quietly whining about how unfair it was. 

“They’re in the locker room, if you all are so curious. However, there will be time to meet them when our practice time is over,” Akaashi tells the group, then quietly skates away, across the ice to begin warming back up. While the group of hockey players were certainly rowdy, they didn’t seem to be bad people. Akaashi thinks back on those that he met, trying to fit faces with names to ensure that he doesn’t accidentally call someone by the wrong name when Sakusa skates up, as quiet as a mouse.

“How were they?” Sakusa asks, eyes narrowed in the general direction of the locker room. To Akaashi, Sakusa was hard to read, generally keeping to himself and avoiding unnecessary contact with most people. However, in this moment, Akaashi could clearly read the discomfort and resentment that Sakusa was radiating.

“They were fine. No one was particularly messy, as far as I could tell,” Akaashi gently tells his curly haired friend in an attempt to comfort him and asauge the fear. “I will talk with their captain today and ensure that it stays that way.”

Sakusa didn’t take his eyes off of the door to the locker room, slowly nodding in acknowledgement at Akaashi’s promise. While Sakusa didn’t show his appreciation, the slight ease in the hostility of his gaze was enough to alert Akaashi to the full extent of his comforting words. Sakusa gives Akaashi a brief nod, then resumes practicing his routine. Akaashi gives the locker room door one more look, then follows suit. 

-

After a long day of practice, the figure skaters exit the rink, heading for the locker room. While some of the hockey players came and watched their practice, they were largely unbothered by the newcomers. However, once they stepped into the locker room, the full extent of the hockey team’s presence was made known. Physically, nothing was out of place in the locker room; however, the largely calm atmosphere that was typically present after practice wasn’t given a fair chance to settle in. All of the hockey players were gathered in their section of the locker room, loudly joking around and chatting. As the figure skaters entered, they received glances and looks, but the conversation didn’t stall or quiet down. 

Akaashi sat down on the bench by his locker, quickly unlacing and taking off his skates. Sakusa, Suga, and Oikawa quickly follow, the latter two chatting quietly. Once his skates were off, Akaashi quietly stepped away from his friends, making eye contact with Bokuto and tilting his head slightly. The large man’s eyes went wide and he pointed to his own chest, mouthing the word  _ me? _ . Akaashi only nodded, heading towards the part of the locker room where the bathroom and showers were. Bokuto was not far behind him, clumsily knocking over a potted plant. Thankfully, it didn’t break and none of the other occupants of the locker room seemed to notice. However, this incident stopped Bokuto in his tracks, immediately falling to the ground to resituate the plant correctly in an upright position. He profusely bowed his head, mumbling apologies to the plant. Akaashi was taken aback by the hockey captain’s actions, a small smile creeping to his face as Bokuto stood up, his shoulders beginning to fall.

“I’m sorry, ‘Kaashi. I really didn’t mean to knock it over,” Bokuto mumbled, dejected. Akaashi lightly places a hand on Bokuto’s shoulder, his touch like a ghost.

“The plant will be okay. Next time, be more careful and spatially aware, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi tells him, his voice soft. Bokuto perks up a little at that, a grin coming to his face.

“So, what did you need?” Bokuto asks, excitedly. His personality had seemed to take a 360 very quickly, from happy to dejected to happy once more. Akaashi shook off the thought and began to focus on the task at hand.

“One of my friends here, Sakusa Kiyoomi, has a problem with germs. I am sure that you all are clean people, but if you would not mind talking to your team about being extra clean for the duration of your use of the rink, I would very much appreciate it.” Akaashi removed his hand from Bokuto’s shoulder, realizing that the contact had been prolonged. His hand suddenly felt too cold, despite their location. 

“You got it, chief!” Bokuto saluted Akaashi, his face becoming serious for a second, before quickly breaking and falling into a goofy grin, his eyes wide and attentive. The shorter in the pair nods.

“Thank you, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi begins the walk back to his locker, narrowing his eyes in suspicion at black hair quickly rounding a corner to avoid detection. Instead of instigating, as it was not Akaashi’s nature, he decided to head straight to his locker. Suga and Oikawa were no longer at the lockers, having gone to take shower. This left Sakusa by himself, sitting on his phone. As Akaashi approached, he realized that Sakusa was not alone and looked rather irritated. One of the hockey players that Akaashi had met earlier was leaned on a locker, trying to chat up the seated skater. He was one of the Miya twins - the one with blonde hair - but Akaashi had already forgotten which one was which. 

“...Come on, Omi!” The hockey player exclaimed in a very jovial manner. Sakusa grimaced at the nickname, quickly jumping up as Akaashi entered their section of the locker room. 

“No,” Sakusa replies, firmly. Akaashi frowns, looking between the two wordlessly.

“Hey! Yer Akaashi, right? We’re having a party tonight! You and Omi-Omi should join us!” The hockey player exclaims, putting his hands on his hips with a light smirk coming to his face as Sakusa’s breaks into a glare. Akaashi, once more, looks between the two before deciding his next actions.

“...Well, I don’t see the harm in stopping by,” Akaashi answers after a few seconds of silence. Sakusa doesn’t react to this, his glare staying steady on the smirking face of the blonde. “Your name, again?” 

“Miya Atsumu,” The blonde responded, his smirk faltering a little bit at the lack of recognition. He pushed off of the lockers that he was leaning against, flashing the two black haired boys a smirk, then walked away, mouthing ‘call me’ to Sakusa. Sakusa ignored the signalling, sitting down on the bench with a huff.

“What was that all about?” Akaashi asks as he packs his bag up. In all honesty, Akaashi was not a party person. He didn’t drink at all, not after his father’s accident. However, Akaashi did agree to stopping by, so he was bound by his word.

“Nothing. He just wanted to get his disgusting hands on me,” Sakusa responds, shivering at the thought of presumably germs. While Akaashi didn’t pretend to understand, he tried to help his friend in any way possible to ease the fear he knew oftentimes seized control. Before Akaashi could press anymore, Oikawa and Suga returned, looking fresh and newly showered. Both were changed into more casual clothing.

“Did you two hear about the party? The hockey team is throwing one and we’re invited,” Akaashi asked the duo, already assuming that they would be joining them. Oikawa Tooru was notorious for his drunk antics, with Suga along as his partner-in-crime.

“A party? Say no more, I will grace thee with my presence!” Oikawa announced, making a show of bowing before breaking into a large grin. Suga couldn’t keep his grin in much longer, either.

“Sure, I’d love to go. What time is it and where is it?” Suga asked, taking out his phone. 

“Sakusa, do you know?” Akaashi asks, realizing that Atsumu never told him about any of the details.

“The party is at the Miya twin’s cabin on the resort and it begins around 9 PM tonight,” Sakusa gets out through gritted teeth, obviously not very pleased with the current situation. Oikawa either didn’t notice or pretended not to, chattering happily about the four of them meeting up before heading to the party. Akaashi was only half listening, instead succumbing to the inevitable distressed thoughts in his head.

“Hey, we’re heading out to get dressed in more reasonable party clothes. You ready, Akaashi?” Suga asked, gently placing a hand on Akaashi’s shoulder. This touch brought him back to the ground and Akaashi gave Suga a tight nod in agreement. The four figure skaters left the locker room, opting to walk to the main building of the lodge. The x Ski Resort was built sometime in the previous century by the Akaashi family and the ownership was passed down through the family. The original resort contained only the lodge, the slopes, and a few cabins. However, over the years, the family greatly expanded to open ice rinks, restaurants, shops, and a larger variety of lodging; the once small ski lodge quickly became a large ski resort that looked like a village. Shuttles ran from location to location, allowing for easier and quicker transportation, but Akaashi preferred to walk. 

Once the group reached the main hotel building, they all split off with promises to meet up here before heading up to the Miya twin’s party. Sakusa’s room was on the same floor as Akaashi, so they took the elevator together, a comfortable silence falling between the two. 

“We won’t stay long,” Akaashi tells Sakusa, voicing the thought that both boys were thinking. Sakusa nodded in agreement as the elevator reached their floor. The two parted, entering their respective rooms. 

-

Akaashi checked his phone for the time, then looked at himself in the mirror one last time. He was wearing a simple black long sleeve mock neck with jeans, his hair neatly brushed. He tucked his phone in his pocket, then headed out of the room and to the lobby of the hotel where his friends were all waiting, chatting amongst themselves. Similar to Akaashi, the other three skaters were dressed simply, yet all were strikingly attractive. Akaashi felt pale in comparison, the feeling of inadequacy beginning to settle in.

“Hot  _ damn _ , Aka-chan!” Oikawa exclaimed, putting a fist over his mouth and looking him up and down in an exaggerated manner. Akaashi’s face warmed up at the sudden attention. Sakusa, ever the quiet man, nodded his approval at Akaashi.

“Oikawa, quit it. Akaashi, you look very nice.” Suga rolled his eyes at his partner, elbowing him harshly in the side. Oikawa whined about the pain, rubbing his side in hopes of getting sympathy. Suga gave no such sympathy, only smiling widely at Akaashi and Sakusa. “Are you two ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’m ready. His cabin is up in the mountains, right? I think we have to take a shuttle up there,” Akaashi said, leading the group out of the building and into the dark of the night. 

“I can drive us there!” Oikawa announced, pulling out the keys to his car. “It would be a lot more sanitary than the shuttle.”

“Would it?” Sakusa asked, narrowing his eyes at Oikawa, who held his chest in exasperation.

“You wound me! I cleaned it last week, I’ll have you know,” Oikawa replied, walking towards his car. It was a shiny red minivan, which was oddly fitting for the brunette. The group loaded into the car, with Suga in shotgun and Sakusa and Akaashi in the middle row. The four securely fastened their seatbelts as Oikawa started the car and turned the headlights. Directly in front of the car stood four dark figures, causing Oikawa to shriek. 

“ALIENS!” Oikawa screamed, hurling the top half of his body into Suga’s lap, who began to laugh hysterically. One of the aliens began to wave at them, moving to Suga’s window. 

“No, don’t open it! They’ll take your soul!” Oikawa kept yelling, clutching onto Suga’s shirt with pleading eyes. Suga rolled his eyes at this, opting to roll down the window. On the other side, Hinata grinned goofily, confused at the current situation in the front seat. 

“Hi Suga-san, Oikawa-san! Can we have a ride up to the party?” Hinata asked, a big smile present on his face. Behind him, Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and Kozume Kenma stood. Suga nods and the four kids climb into the car, piling into the backseat.

“There’s only three seats back here!” Kageyama complains, pushing Hinata out of the way so he can sit on the right side. 

“Sharing is caring, Tobio-chan!” Oikawa sings from the front seat, having recovered from his alien-provoked scare. “Everyone better be buckled back there!”

In the backseat, Hinata and Kageyama have double-buckled, leaving Kenma to sit in the middle and Yamaguchi on the other side. Naturally, Hinata and Kageyama have begun to bicker over who is taking up the most space as Oikawa begins to drive up the mountain.

“Kenma, I see you’ve decided to join us. How are you feeling?” Akaashi asks. Kenma had been off the ice for a few weeks, recovering from an injury to his ankle. 

“I’m alright,” Kenma replied, dodging Hinata’s elbow and leaning on Yamaguchi in order to fully stay out of the fight for space. “How were the hockey players? Shouyou mentioned them.”

“They’re okay. Some of them are quite loud,” Akaashi told Kenma. “The twins who are throwing this party are...interesting.”

“Interesting is an understatement,” Sakusa interjects, huffing in remembrance of his previous encounter with Atsumu.

“Are we there yet?” Hinata asks loudly, so that Oikawa can hear. Kageyama hits him in the shoulder.

“Idiot! Does it  _ look _ like we’re there yet?” Kageyama exclaims, setting off another match of bickering between the two. Kenma lets out a sigh, moving even closer to Yamaguchi in order to avoid the conflict. Their arguing is soon drowned out by the loud music coupled with the yelling of various teenagers. 

“We’re here!” Oikawa announces, pulling the car into the driveway and turning it off. Hinata and Kageyama jump from their seats, struggling to get out of the car first, arguing incomprehensibly. Sakusa quickly gets out of the car, applying hand sanitizer and sending the fighting pair a sharp glare. They straighten up rather quickly. The rest of the group exits the car and heads to the front door. Kageyama and Hinata open the door, running into the party, disappearing into the crowd. Yamaguchi apologized to the older skaters and ran off after his friends.

The cabin was bustling with people drinking and socializing, the music blasting, sending unpleasant vibrations through Akaashi’s feet. He quickly pulled out his phone, sending a text to their group chat.

**sk8r boys**

_ Akaashi: _ Be safe. If you need anything, find us.

_ sunshine on skates: _ yeeeessss mom #2!!!(＾▽＾)

Satisfied with at least one of them responding, Akaashi pocketed his phone and looked up. Oikawa and Suga had disappeared, Sakusa hovering close to Akaashi and glaring at people who got too close. He was wearing a black mask, his hands shoved in his pockets. Akaashi felt bad for forcing his friend to come, making a mental note to make it up to him later. 

“Do you want to have a drink?” Akaashi asks Sakusa, having to raise his voice in order to have his friend hear him. Sakusa’s furrowed brow let him know that his voice had not been loud enough.

“What?” Sakusa asks, his voice slightly muffled by the mask.

“Do you want to have a drink?” Akaashi raises his voice even more, becoming more of a yell. Sakusa nods, finally understanding his friend. Akaashi takes a quick glance over the room, then spots the kitchen, he motions for Sakusa to follow him. They begin their journey across the room, dodging many obstacles, furniture and people alike. Sakusa, in a moment of weakness, grabs onto one of Akaashi’s sleeved arms, in order not to get swept away in the sea of sweaty bodies. Once they finally reach the kitchen, Sakusa quickly lets go and puts some hand sanitizer on while Akaashi looks around the room. The kitchen is mostly barren, a few individuals drinking various beverages. Akaashi recognizes them as hockey players, specifically Bokuto and Kuroo. They are wearing their hockey jackets, Bokuto wearing jeans and Kuroo wearing torn, black pants. They spot Akaashi and Sakusa, a large smile climbing onto the white and black haired man.

“Akaaaaaashi!” Bokuto yells, setting his water down and moving quickly across the kitchen to Akaashi’s side. “I didn’t know you were coming!”

“Miya Atsumu invited me earlier when he was speaking to Sakusa,” Akaashi explains to Bokuto, who is bouncing in front of him. His golden eyes are wide and attentive, nodding along as Akaashi speaks.

“Can I get you a drink? A beer?” Bokuto asks Akaashi, turning to show the shorter the variety of drinks. “What about you, Sakusa, was it?”

“Just a water,” Akaashi tells Bokuto, looking over at Sakusa. Sakusa seems to be considering his options, then nods his head.

“A beer for me,” Sakusa replies, already pulling out a disinfectant wipe for the bottle. Bokuto reaches into the fridge, pulling out a beer bottle and a water bottle, handing them to the pair. Sakusa quickly takes his drink, giving it a once over with a disinfectant wipe before popping the cap off and taking a swig. Akaashi takes the water bottle, giving Bokuto a small and grateful smile.

“Thank you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi thanks Bokuto as the hockey player goes to grab his water from the counter. Sakusa makes a small grunt of gratitude, furrowing his brow as he looks at the living room, where the bulk of the attendees are. 

“Omi-Omi!” A voice calls out from behind the two figure skaters. They both turn, Miya Atsumu standing his arms open wide in a cocky manner. He has a shiteating grin on his face, his eyes hovering over Akaashi for a moment before falling onto Sakusa. If looks could kill, they’d all be at Atsumu’s funeral, mourning (some more than others) the loss of one of the Miya twins. “I didn’t that ya got here!”

“Unfortunate,” Sakusa replies, taking another swig of the beer in an attempt to get himself into a headspace where he can tolerate the annoyance. Akaashi glances between the two, gravitating towards Bokuto and away from the tense atmosphere surrounding them. Akaashi briefly wonders if they knew each other prior to the conversation he witnessed in the locker room. However, the thought is short-lived as Bokuto lightly taps on his shoulder.

“‘Kaashi, Kuroo and I are going to go dance! Come with us!” Bokuto asks, his voice louder than normal. Akaashi glances over at Sakusa and Atsumu, who are having a quiet conversation on the other side of the kitchen. Akaashi turns back to Bokuto, then nods.

“I don’t see why not,” Akaashi replies, Bokuto immediately responds by grabbing the shorter man’s wrist and dragging him out of the kitchen and to the makeshift dance floor in the living room. Kuroo is not far behind, beginning to dance manically once he gets into the room. Bokuto jumps around, bumping his head along to the song. Akaashi briefly watches the two, then scans over the crowd for anyone else he might know. He spots Oikawa and Suga dancing, their usual poised and composed style melting away into crazy and jerky movements as they dance, singing along to the song. Akaashi is content with watching the action from the outskirts, smiling lightly to himself. However, his friends aren’t, as Suga spots him and beckons him over. Akaashi weighs his options, knowing that all end in eventually giving in to the silver haired fiend. 

Akaashi makes his way over to Oikawa and Suga, his hands immediately grasped by the taller, who spins him around gracefully. Oikawa’s hand is hot and sweaty, presumably from the intensity of his dance moves. Akaashi lets his body be manipulated as he is released from Oikawa and given to Suga, who makes Akaashi jump around with him. Suga is attempting to sing along to the American song playing, rarely getting any of the words right. Oikawa encircles his arms around both of them, pulling them into a tight hug and rocks them all back and forth as he, too, attempts to sing along to the song. Suga laughs uncontrollably and Akaashi smiles at his friend’s antics. However, Oikawa stops as someone taps Suga on the shoulder, trying to get his attention. Akaashi recognizes him as one of the hockey players, Sawamura Daichi. 

“Koushi?” Daichi asks, causing Suga to turn, his eyes widening in surprise.

“Daichi! I didn’t know you were in town!” Suga exclaims, hugging his friend. Akaashi looks over his shoulder at Oikawa, whose eyebrows are furrowed. His face is unreadable, so Akaashi doesn’t attempt to understand. Instead, he turns his attention back to the reunited friends. 

“Yeah, I’ve actually been playing hockey here for a while,” Daichi tells Suga, his voice barely loud enough for them to hear over the music. “I met Akaashi earlier at the rink. I didn’t know you two were such good friends.”

“I skate with Akaashi,” Suga explains. “And this is Oikawa Tooru, my skating partner. Oikawa, this is Sawamura Daichi. He’s from my hometown.” 

Whatever Oikawa was thinking earlier was no longer present on his face as he extended his hand, a pleasant smile on his face. “A friend of Suga-chan’s is a friend of mine!” He announces. They briefly shake hands, but Daichi’s attention stays on Suga.

“Want to grab a drink and catch up?” Daichi asks the silver haired man, who nods his head with a smile.

“I’ll find you two later, alright?” Suga turns to Oikawa and Akaashi before walking away with Daichi. Oikawa’s face briefly falls into an unreadable state again, before he announces to Akaashi that he is going to get a drink. He quickly leaves the living room, leaving the raven haired man to fend for himself. Akaashi isn’t given the chance to think about leaving the living room, as a gentle hand grabs onto his arm, turning him around. He is faced with Bokuto, whose hair has fallen into disarray, presumably from the dancing.

“Dance?” Bokuto yells. Akaashi briefly feels bad for quickly abandoning the man in favor of his friends once they initially reached the dance floor, so he nods. Bokuto’s smile grows, which he didn’t know was possible. The taller man resumes his intense dancing, Akaashi struggling to keep up with the wild movements. Bokuto doesn’t seem to mind, so Akaashi decides he won’t either. They dance until the song ends, patiently waiting for the next one to turn on. As soon as it begins, Bokuto grabs Akaashi’s hand, letting out a loud  _ whoop _ of victory.

“I love this song!” Bokuto tells him. Akaashi doesn’t recognize it, as it’s an American pop song. Something about  _ shake shake shake it _ . He lets himself get swept up by Bokuto, who spins Akaashi around, dancing around happily. Despite not knowing each other for longer than a day, Bokuto didn’t seem to mind their close proximity or the dancing. So Akaashi decided that he wouldn’t mind. He doesn’t mind when Bokuto lifts Akaashi up, trying to recreate a dance move from an American movie. He doesn’t mind when two songs turn into ten. He doesn’t mind the sweat, the smell of booze, the intensity of the night.

As a song about girls in America ends, Akaashi feels his phone buzz in his pocket. He quickly fishes it out, checking who texted him.

**sk8r boys**

_ sunshine on skates: _ kageyaaaa gt prtty drnk. leav soon???????

_ star boy: _ we’re hanging out by the front door. kenma is with us

_ Sakusa Kiyoomi: _ I am ready, as well.

“Bokuto-san,” Akaashi calls for his dancing partner, without looking up from his phone. Bokuto is swaying back and forth in front of him, his wide and golden eyes attentively on Akaashi. “I need to go. My friends want to go back now.”

“Do you have to?” Bokuto complains, pouting. Akaashi looks up, wishing that he could stay. He immediately looks back down at his phone, pursing his lips.

“I do. Can you see Oikawa-san or Suga-san?” Akaashi asks, unable to see over the heads over the other inhabitants of the living room. Bokuto immediately begins to look around, then shakes his head no. 

“I’ll help you look!” Bokuto announces, offering his arm for Akaashi to hold onto. The shorter man grabs onto the offered arm and they leave the living room, beginning to look for the pair skaters. Bokuto hums a song from the dance floor, subtly moving his head back and forth. Akaashi eventually finds Oikawa in the kitchen, drinking a beer by himself. 

“...Shit,” Akaashi lets the curse slip out, coming to a sudden realization.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Bokuto frowns, asking Akaashi. His eyebrows knit in worry.

“Oikawa drove us here. He can’t drive us back,” Akaashi explains to Bokuto, making his way over to the drunk man. Oikawa has a pitiful expression on his face, only lighting up when he sees Akaashi. 

“Aka-chaaaan!” Oikawa trips over his own feet in an attempt to reach out to Akaashi, who quickly moves to steady his drunk friend. Bokuto moves to Oikawa’s other side, placing a hand on his back.

“Can’t you drive? You haven’t drank all night,” Bokuto asks Akaashi, tilting his head to the side. Oikawa lets out a snort at that, attempting to place a finger on Bokuto’s chest, but with his present lack of coordination, it ends up landing on the man’s shoulder.

“Aka-chan doesn’t drive, silly goose!” Oikawa announces in a singsong voice. Akaashi feels his face heat up, worrying what Bokuto will think of him not being able to drive. 

“Oikawa-san, do you know where Suga-san is?” Akaashi asks, steering the conversation in a different way. Oikawa’s face sours immediately at the mention of their friend. 

“Probably off with his  _ friend _ ,” Oikawa replies, letting out a huff at that. 

“I only drank water tonight, I can drive you guys,” Bokuto offers to Akaashi. 

“Drive  _ my _ car?” Oikawa presses his finger into Bokuto’s chest successfully this time. Bokuto stiffly nods, looking to Akaashi for permission.

“Alright. You can drive us. We need to find Suga-san first,” Akaashi says. “You two go to the front door. The others are there. I’ll find Suga-san.” 

Bokuto nods, slinging an arm over Oikawa’s shoulders and begins to lead him out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Akaashi watches them leave, Bokuto sending a wide smile over his shoulder at the smaller man. The raven haired man then begins his search for Suga. He vaguely remembers that they said they were going to catch up, so he checks the quieter places that are far away from any commotion. After checking the rooms in the house and walking in on several compromising situations, Akaashi checks the back deck. Suga and Daichi are sitting with their legs dangling off the deck, chatting amicably. 

“Suga-san?” Akaashi calls out, not willing to step outside into the cold of the night. Despite only being Autumn, it was miserably cold. Suga turns at Akaashi’s voice, smiling.

“Hey, Akaashi. What’s up?” Suga asks.

“We’re heading out. Are you ready?” Akaashi asks, hugging himself. Despite not stepping outside, the cold slowly begins to seep into his bones. Suga nods, then turns to Daichi and says his farewell. They promise to speak again soon, then Suga stands and follows Akaashi inside.

“He seems nice,” Akaashi says, glancing at his friend. Suga’s face is slightly red, but Akaashi can’t tell if it's from the cold or from embarrassment. 

“Yeah, he is,” Suga replies as they arrive at the front door. Everyone else they came with is accounted for. Hinata is as energetic as always, bouncing off the walls. Oikawa is passed out against Bokuto, who is sitting by a very drunk Kageyama. Kenma is playing a game on his phone, Yamaguchi quietly watching. Sakusa stands a few feet away from the group, his attention on his phone. 

“We’re back. Are you ready, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asks, offering him a hand in standing. Bokuto gratefully accepts, standing up and dragging Oikawa with him. Bokuto throws the lanky man over his shoulder, not unlike a sack of potatoes, then gestures for Akaashi to lead the way. 

Akaashi leads the group to the car, attempting to take Oikawa from Bokuto. He was by no means weak, but Oikawa was lanky and pure muscle. It took help from Bokuto in order to get Oikawa buckled in a seat. Akaashi opted to take the shotgun seat, while the rest of the group piled into the car. Sakusa sits by Oikawa, forcing Suga, Kenma, Hinata, Yamaguchi, and Kageyama to pile into the backseat. Bokuto starts the car, driving down the mountain towards the main hotel building. Once they arrive, Bokuto puts the car in park and shuts the engine off. The members in the car who can exit, do so quickly. Suga helps Oikawa, who has woken up and is mumbling, his arm slung around the shorter’s shoulder. Sakusa is gone quickly, presumably to clean up. The younger skaters help Kageyama inside, leaving Akaashi with Bokuto, who gives the former the keys to the car. 

“Thank you for driving us down here,” Akaashi thanks Bokuto, giving him a small smile. Bokuto nods, giving Akaashi a large and genuine smile.

“No problem, ‘Kaashi!” Bokuto replies, then fumbles for his phone. “Let’s exchange numbers! Ya know, just in case we need to talk about the ice rink or skating or...or anything!”

Akaashi gently takes Bokuto’s phone from his hands, putting in his information. He then turns, so he can take a selfie with Bokuto for his profile picture. After doing so, he hands Bokuto the phone back, sliding out of the car. 

“Goodnight, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says, his voice soft, his eyes softer. 

When he gets into bed, he has one unread message from an unknown number.

_ Unknown: _ g’night ‘kaaashi! (´ｖ｀)


	2. castle walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Will you teach me how to do a jump?” Bokuto asks Akaashi once they’re close enough, looking eager to learn. 
> 
> “You want to jump,” Akaashi repeats to Bokuto, though it sounds more like a question than a statement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!! here's the next chapter. i'm going to try to update a few times a month, likely once a week. i'm very excited to keep the story going! i hope you enjoy.

The next morning, the locker room was deadly silent. No Kageyama and Hinata arguing about pointless topics, no Oikawa flaunting his new outfits or hairstyle, no Sakusa scrubbing his locker clean with a loud, squeaky sponge. Instead of the logical assumption that everyone was simply hungover, Akaashi’s mind went straight to  _ oh my god, I am in a horror movie _ . He looks up, thinking a quick and thoughtful prayer before venturing further into the locker room, his knuckles white from how tight his grip on his bag was. He wasn’t made out for horror movies. Akaashi always pictured himself as a side character in a romance movie who ends up happy, but alone, and wears ridiculous outfits. Akaashi wouldn’t consider himself a superstitious person, but his thoughts often drifted to  _ what if _ s.

Once Akaashi rounds the corner, heading towards his locker, he is greeted by the sight of Oikawa laying facedown on a bench and Suga and Sakusa sitting on another bench, putting their skates on. Akaashi lets out a sigh of relief, the tension in his shoulders falling away. However, this relaxation is short-lived as a heavy hand falls onto his shoulder, causing Akaashi to jump and let out an embarrassing scream.

“Quiet!” Oikawa cries out, his voice muffled by the bench. Akaashi whips around to see who touched him, revealing Kageyama, who immediately begins to bow his head in an apology.

“It’s alright, Kageyama. Did you need something?” Akaashi asks, his voice quiet, as not to disturb Oikawa. Kageyama straightens up, clearing his throat.

“I wanted to thank you for helping us get home last night,” Kageyama says, then deeply bows again. Akaashi nods at Kageyama.

“You’re welcome. Though, you should thank Bokuto-san later. He is the captain of the hockey team, he is the one who drove us home,” Akaashi corrects the younger boy, giving him a small pat on the shoulder before going to his locker to begin his routine. Kageyama scurries away, leaving the older skaters alone in their section of the room. Akaashi quickly changes into his skates, sitting next to Suga, who is texting on his phone.

“Who is that?” Akaashi asks, curious. Oikawa turns his head, so he can look at the three boys on the bench, his attention now on Suga and the phone. 

“Daichi. He said he talked to you yesterday here? He was the one at the party last night,” Suga explains to Akaashi, his eyes flickering over to Oikawa’s face, who quickly turns his head back to its original position. Before anyone can say anything else, Sakusa stands, turning to the group.

“We should begin to practice,” Sakusa says as he heads towards the exit of the locker room. Oikawa lets out a groan, rolling off of the bench and climbing to his feet. Instead of waiting for Suga, Oikawa slinks off, even ignoring Hinata and Kageyama’s comments and requests for advice. Akaashi frowns, turning to Suga.

“What’s up with Oikawa-san?” Akaashi asks as the two start towards the exit of the locker room and towards the ice. Suga shrugs, scratching his ashy hair and pushing it out of his face.

“I don’t know. He was weird on the way here, didn’t talk much,” Suga tells Akaashi.

  
“Maybe you should talk to him about it,” Akaashi suggests, taking off the blade protectors on his skates and entering the ice rink. He misses Suga’s nod as the shorter man heads off, gliding across the ice with ease over to his partner. It doesn’t take long before the younger members of the club enter the ice, chattering loudly. Despite all of them having been varying degrees of drunk last night, they don’t seem to be feeling the effects of a hangover like Oikawa was. 

Akaashi begins to warm up, reminding himself that he doesn’t have time to be slacking today. Today, Akaashi teaches an ice skating class, which is mostly filled with kids who are dropped off there to give their parents time to ski on the slopes without distraction. Most of the children are sweet and kind. However, since there isn’t an age limit, occasionally a few troublesome teenagers show up, giving Akaashi a hard time.

Akaashi shakes his head, beginning to focus on his practice, skating around the ice a few times before putting in his earphones and beginning the music for his program. He chose “The Middle of the World” from  _ Moonlight _ , starting slowly as the music fills his ears. As the music picks up, his pace increases and his moves become more complicated and fluid, his jumps increasing in frequency. Akaashi truly feels as if he is soaring above the clouds, shedding his physical form and becoming one with the wind and air swirling around him, pulling him in whichever way it sees fit. Like a bird, Akaashi is no longer held down by the burden of his troublesome feet. Instead, he is free to take off and go in whatever direction his heart desires. Too quickly, the song ends, Akaashi coming down to Earth with a flutter of his metaphorical wings retracting into his body. 

He returns just in time to see Oikawa land a jump the wrong way, hitting the floor with a loud crash. Suga is at his side within seconds, crouching down to check him over for any injuries. It isn’t a secret that Oikawa’s knee was his weak spot, sustaining multiple injuries over the years. Before Akaashi can even think of crossing the ice towards the pair, Oikawa angrily gets to his feet, skating to the exit of the rink and storming off, leaving his partner crouched on the ice, confused.

“Suga-san?” Hinata calls out, him and Kageyama having stopped their practice to see what was happening. Suga gives Hinata a reassuring smile before going after his partner wordlessly. His pace is just as quick, yet it looks less like he is running away and more as if he is running towards something.

“I wonder what that was about,” Sakusa hums, now next to Akaashi. The taller of the two was not usually one to get involved in others personal matters, but Akaashi couldn’t blame him for his curiosity regarding the duo. Suga and Oikawa almost never fight. They met when they were in middle school, after Suga and Oikawa moved away from their respective hometowns. After their first encounter, they became joined at the hip, only separating when their parents forced them to. From an outsider's perspective, it was quite obvious that there was always something more than friendship, but neither of them ever made a move, seemingly content with their current relationship. So Akaashi never said anything, never told Suga or Oikawa that he knew. He figured it was best that they figured it out themselves. In truth, Akaashi had figured out very quickly what was bugging Oikawa as soon as his smile dropped the night prior. However, Akaashi reasoned that it was none of his business what happened, turning towards Sakusa and giving a half-hearted shrug. Sakusa raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow at the non-response, causing Akaashi to sigh.

“I think Oikawa-san is jealous,” Akaashi confesses to his friend, who cracks a small smirk on his face. Akaashi then realizes that his friend had likely figured that out himself, as Sakusa was very intuitive.

“He is an idiot. Suga doesn’t have eyes for anyone else,” Sakusa replies, already beginning to skate off. Akaashi nods in agreement, realizing too late that his curly haired friend can’t actually see him do so. Instead of replying, Akaashi decides to skate over his program once more. 

Again, he skates around the rink a few times before turning his music on. As Akaashi begins his program and nears his first jump, he plummets from the sky at the sound of his voice being yelled across the ice. He stumbles, nearly toppling over before ripping out an earbud to scan the ice for who called his name. At the edge of the ice stands Bokuto, a huge smile on his face as he waves. Akaashi takes out his other earbud, gliding across the ice towards the larger man, who is blissfully unaware of the compromising situation he put the smaller in. 

“‘Kaaaaashi! Hi!” Bokuto greets him, his voice still quite loud. Akaashi flinches lightly at the noise, nodding in greeting.

“Hello, Bokuto-san. Please quiet down. Why are you here so early?” Akaashi asks, his music still blasting through his earphones, just loud enough so that Bokuto can hear and become completely enamored with it. Before Akaashi can pick up on what the hockey player is doing and stop him, he takes one of the earbuds and shoves it in his ear. Somewhere, Akaashi can feel Sakusa cringing and gagging. Deciding that the damage is already done, Akaashi lets Bokuto listen to the remaining parts of the song, waiting patiently before speaking.

“Akaashi, that was…” Bokuto begins, blinking as he takes out the earbud and gently hands it back to Akaashi. “That was amazing!”

“Thank you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi replies, scratching the back of his head. Normally, he doesn’t let anyone besides a few friends listen to his program songs before he performs it for the first time for quality control, but he doesn’t find himself filled with discomfort at someone he just met listening to someone so intimate. “Why are you here so early?”

“Oh! Right! Well, a few of my teammates wanted to watch you guys practice before our game tonight,” Bokuto explains, his face slowly turning red. Akaashi raises an eyebrow, figuring that he is withholding some information. “I also, um...don’t laugh at me, but! I may or may not have accidentally signed up for an ice skating class with you.”

Just when Akaashi felt that he was finally becoming accustomed to the conversation, Bokuto surprised him with a new revelation. 

“You are aware that the class is mostly full of children?” Akaashi asks Bokuto, who is becoming more and more red by the second. 

“I am! I just wanted to be better at skating. I mean, I’m pretty good at skating in the hockey sense, but it’s so different from what I see you guys do, and you guys are so good at it! I think it’s really cool how you guys can jump and do complex turns and whatnot…” Bokuto rambles, using hand gestures to further his point, even going as far to direct the raven-haired man’s attention towards Sakusa, who lands a jump perfectly and gracefully, almost as if he wasn’t trying. Akaashi turns his attention back to the man in front of him, who is nervously holding the back of his neck.

“Well, I guess it can’t hurt to have you learn with them,” Akaashi says, a small, friendly smile making its way onto his face. “I won’t go easy on you, just so you know.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it!” Bokuto gives Akaashi a toothy grin, his eyes closing due to the extremity of the facial expression. Akaashi decides that maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have him around. However, his thoughts quickly converge on Oikawa’s situation.

“When you said some of your team wanted to watch us, did that include Sawamura-san?” Akaashi questions, his shoulders tensing up at the prospect of Oikawa possibly saying something offensive and spiteful to the hockey player. Bokuto taps his chin in thought, then confirms Akaashi’s question with a nod.

“I think he was looking for Suga,” Bokuto tells Akaashi, who quickly gets off the ice and slips on his blade protectors. “Why? Is everything okay?”

“Hm? Oh, no. Not at all,” Akaashi replies, booking it towards the locker room. Bokuto follows him, his grin replaced with a concerned and confused face. Akaashi had told himself he wouldn’t get involved, yet he felt oddly protective over his tall, lanky friend and didn’t want him to be kicked right in the face while he was already down. He briefly ponders explaining the situation to Bokuto, but ultimately decides against sharing all of the details in favor of putting him on a Need-To-Know Basis. 

“Oikawa-san has had a bad day, and I think putting him in a room with Sawamura-san would create a commotion that both of our clubs don’t need,” Akaashi explains, opening the door to the locker room in search of Suga and Oikawa. He finds the pair sitting on a bench, the latter icing his knee. Both are silent, their collective four eyes on the ice pack. Akaashi lets out a sigh of relief, pulling the pair skaters attention towards him and Bokuto.

“Aw, was Aka-chan worried about me?” Oikawa teases, his normal tone beginning to return, his eyes still lacking the fire they normally hold. Suga gives Akaashi a small smile, his face tinged with worry.

“Of course, Oikawa-san. Who else would we have to embarrass us whenever we go out?” Akaashi replies, his facial expression neutral. Beside him, Bokuto looks surprised at Akaashi’s sudden sass. Oikawa clutches his chest, letting out a whine.

“Suga-chan, go hit him for me!” Oikawa complains, nudging the silver-haired man next to him. Suga grins devilishly, jabbing Oikawa in the side, causing the taller one to shriek and try to scramble to get away. Akaashi lightly grabs Bokuto by the wrist, leading him out of the locker room. Before Akaashi can say anything, Sawamura Daichi himself steps in front of them, a kind smile on his face.

“Hey guys, have either of you seen Suga?” Daichi asks the pair. Bokuto instinctively replaces Akaashi’s hold with his own, pulling the shorter man and himself in front of the door, wordlessly and instantly accepting Akaashi’s wishes that he hadn’t ever directly said. 

“Nope!” Bokuto replies too quickly to be believable, causing Daichi to narrow his eyes ever so slightly.

“Alright. Can I go into the locker room, then?” Daichi asks, taking a step closer.

“Also nope!” Bokuto says again, the tightness in his grip increasing ever so slightly. Akaashi looks between the two, unsure if he should say anything or intervene. Bokuto was quite obviously not a good liar, his facial expressions and emotes letting whomever was listening or watching know exactly what he was thinking. 

“...And why not?” Daichi asks, his smile turning into a small frown. He then looks at Akaashi, whose facial expression has fallen into a poker face. 

“Bokuto-san and I are about to makeout in the locker room. We would prefer some privacy,” Akaashi tells Daichi, whose face turns scarlet in a matter of seconds. Bokuto’s eyes widen, staring at Akaashi with his mouth agape. 

“O-Oh, alright. Well, I...I’m gonna go try to find Suga. H-Have fun?” Daichi stumbles over his words, then over his feet as he tries to escape the situation as fast as he can. Akaashi’s neutral expression disappears and he breaks out into a grin, turning towards Bokuto, who is still slack-jawed and red from embarrassment. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t make you makeout with me,” Akaashi jokes, putting Bokuto into a defensive position.

“No! I think making out with you would be great!” Bokuto immediately says, his face turning more and more red with each word he says. “I mean, not that I want to. I mean, of course I want to, but that would be weird! Not because you’re you or you’re a guy, I like guys. Are you into guys, too? Oh god, I mean that it wouldn’t be bad! I think I’m going to quit talking now.”

Akaashi blinks, taking a moment to process everything Bokuto said before letting out a loud and uncontrollable laugh. To Bokuto, it was quite honestly one of the nicest sound he’d ever heard, better than his favorite ice cream truck’s jingle on a hot summer day, better than the song that Akaashi was skating to, better than what an angel singing would have sounded like if he’d ever heard one. He felt compelled to laugh with Akaashi, so he did. They must’ve looked stupid to anyone walking by: two muscular men, clinging to each other’s wrists, laughing their asses off about a secret that no one else knew. After a few minutes of laughter, they both looked at each other, a small smile on Akaashi’s face amplifying Bokuto’s grin. 

“Akaashi-sensei?” A small voice brought their attention away from each other and towards a small boy. Akaashi recognized him as Oikawa’s nephew, Takeru. He was a pleasant kid, a little shy, but he had Oikawa wrapped around his finger. Akaashi’s smile slipped away as he checked the time and noticed it was nearly time for the lesson to begin. 

“Hi, Takeru. This is Bokuto-san. He’s a friend of mine and he’s going to take you to check out some skates, okay? I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Akaashi squatted down to talk to Takeru, gesturing towards Bokuto, whose grin has widened into a goofy and toothy smile.

“Hi! I’m Bokuto!” Bokuto offers his hand out to Takeru, who nervously takes it and walks off with the tall man. Akaashi briefly watches them go, then heads towards the front of the building where a few other kids are waiting, looking around for presumably Akaashi. Once Akaashi rounds up everyone who is here for the class, he takes them to check out skates. All of the kids eagerly put them on, excited to be on the ice. Akaashi knows this feeling, as he felt it since the first time he decided to step onto the rink: butterflies. Those butterflies turned into wings for Akaashi, letting him soar through the sky. He hopes that one day these kids will develop wings and take flight, too.

“Alright, everyone. We’re going to head onto the rink now,” Akaashi announces to the group, leading everyone towards the entrance to the ice. Bokuto looks out of place with the group, the only one over the age of ten. This doesn’t stop him from talking with each kid, who all fawn over him and his supposed excellence at skating. Once Akaashi herds all of the kids onto the ice, he instructs them to go around the edge of the ice one time, skating not far from them in case they need help. Bokuto joins him after convincing the kids that he needs to talk to Akaashi-sensei about something very important and top secret.

“Will you teach me how to do a jump?” Bokuto asks Akaashi once they’re close enough, looking eager to learn. 

“You want to jump,” Akaashi repeats to Bokuto, though it sounds more like a question than a statement.

“I want to jump,” Bokuto confirms, nodding his head. “You look so  _ cool _ and I want to be able to be in the air like that.”

Akaashi ponders this for a second. He knows that he can’t do it right now, as he has several kids that he has to be paying attention to so that they don’t fall over on the ice and die. Bokuto mentioned that he was going to be having a game today, but he didn’t mention what time it was. Maybe it wasn’t until tonight, and in between the events, Akaashi could help Bokuto learn the basics.

“It’s okay if you don’t wanna,” Bokuto interrupts Akaashi’s thoughts, looking away from him sheepishly. Bokuto wears his heart on his sleeve for anyone and everyone to see, while Akaashi’s heart was locked away deep within walls and walls of carefully placed façades. 

“No, I want to. I can’t right now because of the kids, but I’ll make time for you. You mentioned a game earlier, when is that?” Akaashi asks, placing a hand lightly on Bokuto’s arm to reassure him. Bokuto’s attention is back on Akaashi at once and Akaashi wishes that it would never leave. It felt like staring at the sun, basking in its warmth and reliability and Akaashi has been in the bitter cold far too long. 

“Really? Thank you, ‘Kaashi! You’re the best,” Bokuto exclaims, wrapping Akaashi in a big and warm hug, briefly helping the shorter forget about the fact that they’re on ice. “The game is at 6 PM tonight. You should come!”

“I will consider coming. Please let me down, Bokuto-san, I need to check on the kids,” Akaashi says, causing Bokuto to gentle release Akaashi from the intense hug. “We will find time to work on your jumps.”

Akaashi skates off towards the kids, leaving Bokuto to stare at him from behind.

-

As the lesson ended, the sun began to go down in the sky. All of the kids, except for Takeru, were ushered off to their parents, who all thanked Akaashi for his service. Oikawa and Suga eventually emerged from the locker room, the former scooping up his nephew with promises of showing him some cool tricks on the ice. Suga lightly hit him on the back of the head, reminding Oikawa of his problem with his knee. Instead, Suga got roped into showing Takeru a few simple tricks on the ice, helping his partner’s nephew recreate them sloppily. Oikawa watched, leaned against the edge of the ice, smiling softly at the scene. If he could stay in this moment for the rest of his life, he wouldn’t complain. In fact, was there someone to ask if he could do just that?

“Oikawa, was it?” Sawamura asked, pulling the taller away from the ice and towards the man he had been inadvertently avoiding. Oikawa no longer wished to stay in this moment. 

“Yes! And you must be Dai-chan,” Oikawa greets him, a smile immediately coming onto his face. If Daichi had known Oikawa better, he would’ve recognized sooner that the smile was not friendly in the slightest. But, he didn’t. He didn’t know Oikawa and he didn’t know the real meaning of the smile. 

“Koushi told me that you skate with him,” Daichi comments, leaning against the edge of the rink while maintaining eye contact with the taller. “He told me you were pretty good.”

“That’s right. Suga-chan and I have skated together for quite a while now,” Oikawa confirms, subconsciously sizing Daichi up. “I can’t say he mentioned you all too often, though.”

“We haven’t been in touch for a while,” Daichi admits, his eyes falling on the man in question. Suga was laughing at something Takeru said, who looked quite proud of himself for getting the silver haired skater to react in that way. They were quite the pair, both holding parts of Oikawa’s heart that he hoped they’d never drop or forget about. “I’m glad I got the opportunity to be back in his life.”

Oikawa wanted to hate him. He wanted to threaten him, tell him to stay away from Suga. But, he couldn’t find it in himself to do so. In all honesty, for all of the faux confidence that Oikawa radiates, it was just that: faux. He knew deep down that Suga was too good for him, too kind, too smart, too talented. He was just holding him back from bigger and better things. Maybe Daichi could be just that.

“Yeah. He’s something different,” Oikawa quietly replies. “He seems quite taken with you.”

“You think so?” Daichi replies, either not noticing the shift in Oikawa’s demeanor or not caring. Oikawa wordlessly agrees, admiring Suga from afar. He knows that's all he can do, all he will ever do. Suga catches his eye, giving Oikawa a soft smile, before waving at Daichi. “I think I’m going to invite him to my game tonight. You’re welcome to come, too.”

“Takeru, come meet Daichi,” Suga says, leading the younger boy over to his uncle and Sawamura. Takeru extends his hand at Daichi, putting on his best tough face. 

“Hi! My name is Oikawa Takeru!” Takeru loudly announces, giving Daichi a firm handshake.

“It’s nice to meet you, Takeru. My name is Sawamura Daichi. You’re quite a good skater, if I do say so myself,” Daichi replies, a kind smile on his face. Oikawa finds himself looking away, unable to watch his nephew’s interest in him fade in favor of Daichi. He knew he was being overdramatic, but the thought of the two people he cared for most being taken by the same muscular man made him feel sick. 

“Tooru?” Suga whispers so that only the pair can hear, placing a warm hand on Oikawa’s ice cold hand. Oikawa lightly shakes his head, giving Suga a painful smile. “Is it your knee? Maybe you should go sit down, I’ll go get some ice.”

“No, no. It’s okay, Suga-chan. I’m a big boy, I can do it,” Oikawa replies, avoiding eye contact with his partner. “Plus, I think Dai-chan has something to ask you anyways. I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

Oikawa grabs his nephew’s hand before Suga can attempt to stop him, and he is gone. Suga suddenly loses any desire to be anywhere else but Oikawa’s side. He knows that something is wrong, but he can’t pinpoint what. 

“Hey, Koushi,” Daichi greets him, smiling. Suga gives a distracted smile, watching Oikawa’s retreating figure until he has gone out of sight. “I was wondering if you wanted to come watch my game tonight. I was going to ask you earlier, but I couldn’t find you.”

“Oikawa got hurt earlier, I was helping him out. Your game?” Suga finally gives Daichi his full attention, now noticing the flush of his cheeks and the hopeful look in his eyes.

“Yeah, we’re playing a team from a few towns over. It’ll be fun. I already invited Oikawa, too. It’s at 6 PM tonight, so I have to be leaving here soon so we can head to the rink. I can send you the address,” Daichi says, immediately beginning to send Suga a text.    
  


“I’ll see if I can drop by,” Suga promises, giving Daichi a smile as his phone dings. Instantly, he checks it to see if it’s a text from Oikawa. Instead, it’s the address from Daichi. 

“Great! I’ll look for you in the crowd,” Daichi says, giving Suga a brief hug before heading out. The temporary warmth of the hug was not enough to fill the void that Oikawa’s familiarity had left in his wake, leaving Suga absolutely unsatisfied with the situation at hand. Without thinking about it for another second, Suga resolved to call his partner. After a few rings, the man in question answered, his tone filled with the fake happiness it typically was when they were in the company of others.

“Suga-chan, miss me already?” Oikawa jokes, not knowing that what he said was exactly the truth. Despite being incredibly booksmart, he was also incredibly fucking stupid.

“Will you come with me to the hockey game tonight?” Suga asked, biting his nails.

“Quit biting your nails,” Oikawa scolds, mumbling something away from the phone that Suga doesn’t quite catch. Before he can even think of asking how his partner knew that, Oikawa continues. “I don’t really feel like going out tonight.”

“We can get dinner beforehand or afterwards. We don’t have to stay long,” Suga nearly pleads. He knows that nights like this for Oikawa are used to overanalyze every performance of theirs and count the mistakes that the taller half of their duo made. There’s more reasons Suga wants Oikawa by his side, but he isn’t ready to admit those. He doesn’t know if he ever will be.

“...Fine, but you’re buying dinner, Kou-chan,” Oikawa declares. “I’ll pick you up around five?”

“I’ll be waiting,” Suga replies before hanging up. The emptiness he felt is temporarily filled as Suga walks away from the ice rink.

-

As soon as Akaashi enters the ice rink where the hockey game is being held, he feels overwhelmed. This is in no way similar to the atmosphere of a figure skating event. No, this is more similar to a concert, with people screaming and yelling from the stands, despite the game not having started yet. Akaashi checks his phone, his lockscreen revealing no missed notifications and a bright 6:04 PM. He heads for the stands, hoping to find someone he knows. He scans the crowd, searching for orange or silver hair. Instead, he finds curly black hair sitting in a far corner, scowling at anyone who gets close. 

“Sakusa-san?” Akaashi calls out once he’s in earshot. This grabs Sakusa’s attention, who looks very thankful to see someone he knows. Akaashi moves, sitting next to his friend. While the shorter wishes they could be sitting closer to the rink, he owes Sakusa for dragging him to the party last night. So, he says nothing.

“Hello, Akaashi. I didn’t know you were coming tonight,” Sakusa greets him, his voice slightly muffled by a plain black face mask. 

“Bokuto invited me while he was visiting the rink today. Did one of them invite you here?” Akaashi asks, not so subtly hinting at Miya Atsumu, the man who always seems to be around Sakusa. 

“...You can ask me, Akaashi. You are not as good at being subtle as you think,” Sakusa replies, his eyes crinkling in a way that makes Akaashi think he is being smirked at.

“What is the deal with you and Miya Atsumu?” Akaashi asks. He doesn’t even think of denying the accusation, knowing that Sakusa can smell a liar from a few miles away. He was always exceptionally skilled at telling when Akaashi wanted to say something other than the words coming from his mouth.

“I grew up with him,” Sakusa says, nice and simple. Akaashi nods, content with that. However, Sakusa continues. “I am very attracted to him, and yet I want to wrap my gloved hands around his neck and throttle him until he shuts his perfect mouth.”

Now, that is not something Akaashi thought he would hear from Sakusa. 

“Every time he opens his mouth, I am torn between kissing him and punching him,” Sakusa keeps going, the words spilling out of his mouth like he was throwing up. And he looked just as disgusted with himself as if he was regurgitating his dinner. “I am very attracted to him and that repulses me. That is all.”

Akaashi blinks at Sakusa, whose eyes are on the rink and the players. A few times in the following minute, Akaashi opens his mouth to say something and closes it, the words failing to come out.

“Well, I was not expecting that,” Akaashi finally says. “Perhaps you should kiss and punch him. See which gives you the greater satisfaction.”

Sakusa lets out a genuine laugh at that, his eyes crinkling.

“Is that Sakusa Kiyoomi actually smiling?” Oikawa gasps, approaching the group with Suga in tow. “Why, I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Watch yourself, Oikawa,” Sakusa threatens, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Oikawa shivers, stepping behind Suga in an attempt to shield himself.

“What’ve we missed in the game?” Suga asks, sitting down next to Akaashi and dragging Oikawa down beside him.

“The game hasn’t started yet,” Akaashi replies. In all honesty, he hadn’t looked at the ice once since he sat down with Sakusa.

“Which one is which?” Oikawa asks, sounding very confused. “I can’t see their hair. That’s how I usually tell them apart.”

  
As if on cue, the lights in the stadium go off, the announcer beginning to introduce the home team. On the opposite side of the stands, the cheers begin to get louder and louder. After the starting lineup for their team is introduced, the starting lineup for X Hockey Team is. Bokuto comes on first, as he is the captain of the team. Though, for some reason, his jersey number is not #1, but instead #4. Akaashi makes a mental note to ask about it later. Next onto the ice is Kuroo, the tall man with dark hair that is always around Bokuto. He’s introduced as the vice captain, and yet his jersey dons the #1. Shortly following the duo, who chest bump and end up getting their helmets stuck together, are Daichi, Iwaizumi, and the Miya twins. Atsumu quickly scans the crowd, finding Sakusa quite quickly and waving enthusiastically. Sakusa narrows his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. If that bothered Atsumu twin, he doesn’t show it, laughing heartily on the ice.

“Iwa-chan plays for  _ this _ hockey team?!” Oikawa screeches, far too loud in the arena and catching the attention of not only the surrounding spectators, but quite a few players on the ice. 

“You know Iwaizumi-san?” Akaashi asks, looking around Suga, who looks equally as confused.

“He’s an old family friend,” Oikawa tells the group, squinting at the offending man, who is ignoring the tall brunette. Whether that is intentional or not, Akaashi can only guess.

As the game progresses, the X Hockey Team is given a run for their money. The other team, Shiratorizawa Hockey Club, is full of incredibly large and agile players, who play for blood. At one point, Kuroo gets into a scuffle with a player and has to be peeled away by Bokuto, who gives his helmet a light smack. 

The rest of the game goes about as smoothly as a hockey game can, X Hockey Team losing 4-3 to Shiratorizawa. As the players leave the ice, the figure skaters all look at each other before mutually agreeing to go find their friends. Suga and Oikawa lead the group, Suga’s hand resting in the crook on Oikawa’s elbow. Akaashi wonders what happened with them today. Sakusa, despite all attempts to relax and act natural, looks like he is walking to his untimely demise. In his defense, with the look that Atsumu is wearing on his face when they approach him, he likely is. A few players from their hockey team have gathered in the main foyer of the building, hair wet and dressed in more casual clothing than their uniforms. 

“Suga-chan, I want to introduce you to Iwa-chan!” Oikawa exclaims, dragging his partner off towards the burly, spikey haired man that Akaashi met on the first day of the skating arrangement. Akaashi takes his eyes off of them, scanning the group for Bokuto. Sakusa lightly tugs on his friend’s sleeve, catching his attention.

“I’m going to do it. Punch him and kiss him,” Sakusa announces, his voice low enough that no one else can hear. Akaashi nods, a little surprised that Sakusa actually was taking his half-baked advice. Before Akaashi could comment on it, Sakusa walks over to Atsumu, giving the lone figure skater a thumbs up before sucker punching Atsumu in the gut. 

“Oho, looking for Bokuto?” A deep voice from behind Akaashi pulls him attention away from Sakusa and Atsumu’s brawl and towards Kuroo, in all of his tall and messy haired glory. 

“The helmet didn’t do much for your hair,” Akaashi comments, his expression as neutral as ever. This causes the taller man to let out a laugh that can only be compared to a hyena’s. 

“I can see what my bro sees in you,” Kuroo jokes, wrapping an arm around Akaashi’s shoulders. “Come on, he’s in the locker room. I’ll take you there. Heads up, though, he’s in a...mood.”

“A mood?” Akaashi repeats the words, a little confused as to what Kuroo meant by that. However, he doesn’t get a clarification as they reach the locker room quickly and Kuroo splits off to go bother someone else. Akaashi shrugs, making his way in.

“Bokuto-san?” Akaashi calls out, looking around. The locker room is empty except a sole figure sitting on a bench with a towel over his head. Akaashi makes his way over to the hockey player, sitting down next to him. “Bokuto-san, I enjoyed watching you play tonight. Thank you for inviting me.”

“‘m sorry we didn’ win,” Bokuto mumbles out, clearly dejected over the loss that was by no means his fault. “I shoul’ve played harder.”

“It was a hard match. Sometimes you don’t win, but that gives you more reason to train harder and practice more so that you can win next time, right?” Akaashi places a comforting hand on Bokuto’s back, speaking softly. Bokuto turns his head to look over at the shorter. Bokuto’s gravity defying hair is now matted down and against his forehead, the black and white mixing together. Akaashi briefly thinks that he reminds him of an owl. A sad owl.

“You thin’ so, Aghaaasi?” Bokuto says, a small frown still on his face.

“I know so, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi reaffirms, giving Bokuto a soft smile that he reserves for those who he knows the best. Despite only knowing Bokuto for such a short time, he feels that they have a connection that he looks forward to fostering. 

The walls Akaashi built around his heart are beautiful and inviting, serving their sole purpose while also unintentionally luring unsuspecting souls to attempt to break them down. He wishes that his walls were dark and repulsive, like the ones in a haunted house. Instead, his walls are like a castle. Beautiful, yet sturdy. They aren’t easily knocked down; Akaashi often wonders if they ever can be. He supposes it wouldn’t be impossible to extend the bridge over the moat and raise the portcullis, but he knows that once past the stunning architecture of the outside, his barren and cold heart would only repulse the brave knight who ventured far enough. 

“Thanks for coming to my game,” Bokuto gives Akaashi a small smile, his eyes slowly beginning to reflect something other than sadness. 

“Come on, your team is waiting for you in the foyer,” Akaashi gently removes his hand from Bokuto’s back, standing up. He misses the heat of touching the sun, so he extends his hand to help Bokuto up. Realistically, he knows Bokuto is more than capable of standing by himself, but Akaashi believes that a little physical contact never hurt anyone. Once Bokuto has stood up and pulled a black hoodie with the words  _ Owl You Need Is Some Love _ written in bright pink font on the front with a cute cartoon owl that Akaashi thinks resembles Bokuto quite well, the pair heads out of the locker room, where the hockey team is waiting patiently. They are chatting amongst themselves, the three intruding figure skaters accepted into their ranks quite well. Despite Sakusa’s efforts to stay away from people, Atsumu is chatting him up, with Osamu at his side.

“Ah, Bokuto. It was a pleasure to play against you,” A deep, monotonous voice that Akaashi has definitely never heard before leads his eyes to a very tall man who has his arm extended towards Bokuto. He dons a Shiratorizawa jacket and Akaashi believes he recognizes him as the captain. 

“You played well, Ushijima!” Bokuto shakes his hand, his chipper personality that was gone in the locker room quickly resuming as if it had never left in the first place. “Akaashi, this is Ushijima Wakatoshi. He’s the club captain over at Shiratorizawa.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Ushijima-san,” Akaashi greets him, bowing. “My name is Akaashi Keiji.”

“Likewise,” Ushijima bows, scanning over the group. “If you will excuse me, I see someone else I know.”

Akaashi and Bokuto watch him leave, walking over to where an unsuspecting Oikawa is standing, chatting with Iwaizumi and Suga. Before Oikawa can screech or shriek or whatever noise Ushijima induces from him, Ushijima greets Suga and Iwaizumi, before saying something to Oikawa. This elicits a noise from Oikawa that Akaashi thinks he’s never heard before. It’s something between a growl and a shriek. Iwaizumi quickly grabs Oikawa’s arm, holding him back from likely doing something he’ll regret. Or, knowing Oikawa, that he won’t. Before Oikawa can swing or kick at Ushijima, the large man bows and walks away, seemingly unbothered by what just unfolded in front of him. 

Akaashi chooses to go with it, turning back to Bokuto, who is looking over at his team with an emotion that Akaashi can’t say he is familiar with. For once in the few days they’ve known each other, the shorter man can’t get a proper read on what Bokuto is thinking. So, he doesn’t ask.

“Walk me home,” He says, instead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading!! please leave kudos and comments on what you liked!


	3. haunted hearts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Alright, my turn to ask! Bokuto-chan, truth or dare?” Atsumu asks, taking another swig of his drink. Bokuto taps his chin, contemplating what he wants to do.
> 
> “Dare!” He settles on, looking too excited for someone who hasn’t drank at all.
> 
> “Do push ups until your next turn,” Atsumu declares. “Let us see those juicy biceps!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! here's the new chapter. i hope you enjoy it. i've honestly never been to a party before (sad bc i'm 18 ;-( ) so i had to ask my friends and google for a lot of advice. i apologize if it's not an amazing portrayal!

September came to an end and the leaves changed color. October was spent differently, with the new additions into the figure skaters’s friend group. They kept their  _ sk8r boys _ group chat, making a separate one for nearly everyone’s displeasure:  _ sk9r boys _ . At their first competition of the season, the hockey players came and watched, cheering them on. At the many hockey games over the weeks, the figure skaters returned the favor by attending and shouting profanities at the refs and the opposing team. Akaashi fit in lessons with Bokuto between it all. While the raven haired skater was thoroughly exhausted, he was happy. Happier than he had been in a long time.

Naturally, when Halloween came around, they all wanted to do something together. On a day where the rink was closed for necessary maintenance, the group met up in the ski lodge to grab some lunch and discuss possible Halloween plans. 

“I vote we get shit-faced! Akaashi, you have a room we can use here, yeah?” Kuroo asks, taking a bite from his burger. He was a very sloppy eater, ketchup and mustard dripping out of his burger, right onto his white shirt with the logo of the X Hockey Team. Kenma, who turns out to actually know Kuroo, as they’re  _ dating _ , glares at his shirt, then goes back to playing his game. They are polar opposites, but Akaashi guesses there is some appeal to that.

“I have a brilliant idea!” Oikawa announces, stealing one of Suga’s fries and shoving it in his mouth before stealing one of Iwaizumi’s. 

“If it involves slutty costumes, stop while you’re ahead, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi growls, already mad about his fries being stolen. Oikawa rolls his eyes.

“Slutty costumes are always optional! Looking at you, Suga. Anyways, back to my idea! Legend, and by that, I mean the internet, says that there is a haunted and abandoned house in the mountains. I may or may not have already booked an overnight stay there for everyone, so there’s not much room here to say no!” Oikawa announces, a large smile on his face as he begins to shield himself just in case Iwaizumi is feeling particularly violent. Much to his and everyone else’s surprise, nothing happens.

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Iwaizumi hums, nodding his head. A series of agreements flood the table, everyone in the group simultaneously beginning to think that perhaps Oikawa wasn’t as stupid as he seemed. 

“Maybe the slutty cost-” Oikawa begins, a karate chop to the head silencing him before he can finish his thought. Never mind, he was exactly as stupid as he seemed.

-

Halloween fell on a Friday this year. This meant that everyone was practicing or, more realistically, pretending to practice while planning for the night ahead. They were all eager to be released and head to get ready for their haunted night. 

Akaashi started his music, beginning the first steps of his program. Over the past month, he had bonded with the members of the hockey team, specifically Bokuto. Bokuto was an enigma in Akaashi’s mind, confusing him in nearly every way. Despite no interest in figure skating, he was dedicated to learning how to jump. In fact, they often stayed late each day after skating and hockey practice so that Bokuto had more time to jump (and fall). He was loud, yet thoughtful; blunt, yet caring. Bokuto did not have a single bad bone in his body and that is what Akaashi liked about him. 

As Akaashi finished his program, he skated to the edge of the ice, retrieving his water bottle and taking a few sips while looking around the rink. He was not alone in strengthening ties with the hockey team. After sucker punching Atsumu in the stomach, Sakusa began a shaky, yet somewhat loving relationship with the faux blond. He guessed that Sakusa got more pleasure from kissing the man than hitting him. Akaashi, on many occasions, caught them arguing and insulting each other, yet Sakusa swears that their relationship is not as volatile as their words often make it out to be. Akaashi trusted him, so he trusted that he was telling him the truth. Atsumu, while a pompous asshole, seemed to have a bit of a soft spot for the tall figure skater. And who was Akaashi to stand in the way of love? Or whatever they had going on.

Oikawa could now be in the same room as Daichi without either being drunk or leaving immediately. Daichi did eventually catch onto his discomfort, oftentimes going out of his way to be extra friendly to the brunette. However, neither Daichi nor Oikawa made a move on Suga, who seemed blissfully unaware at the longing gazes and kind gestures. 

The younger figure skaters in the club, despite many threats and denials, managed to rope Tsukishima Kei into their shenanigans and mischief. Akaashi thoroughly believes that the reason lies somewhere within his love for teasing Kageyama and Hinata and the fact that every time a certain boy yells  _ Tsukki! _ , Akaashi can feel the heat from Tsukishima’s face from across the room. As for Kageyama and Hinata, Akaashi never quite understood their dynamic.

Akaashi supposes that at this rate, he will be one of the only single ones left. He was never very open about his feelings and desires, deciding that the best way to spare himself and others the pain of heartbreak was to simply keep them away. The figure skater advised his friends that they shouldn’t do this, they should instead welcome love and affection. Akaashi always told himself he was a hypocrite, but decided he was okay with the title as long as he didn’t end up crying in his bed because it didn’t work out. Instead, he cries in bed because he wants what he can’t have. But, hey. Everyone's a little imperfect. 

“Akaashi-san, are you excited for tonight?” Hinata asks, suddenly next to him and looking up, expectantly. Hinata, not unlike Akaashi, had taken a liking to Bokuto. However, Hinata’s liking was more of a reverence and a hope to someday hold the kind of power that his self-proclaimed master had. Akaashi didn’t want to point out that they played two entirely different sports and Bokuto’s power was very different from his own, so he didn’t.

“I am excited, Hinata. What are you bringing?” Akaashi asks, setting his water bottle down. The group decided that it would be best and the most efficient if everyone split up the supplies that they were bringing. The more responsible members of the group were given the more necessary supplies, such as flashlights, food, and drinks. Everyone was to bring their own bedrolls, pillows, and snacks. 

“Oikawa-san told me to bring my sleeping stuff and something called Trojans. Do you think that’s some kind of special food he wants?” Hinata asks, innocently tilting his head to the side. If Akaashi were still drinking his water, he would’ve spit it all out in surprise then willingly slipped on it and knocked himself out to avoid answering the question. 

“Scratch that off your list and do not listen to Oikawa-san again, alright Hinata?” Akaashi orders, sending a glare towards Oikawa, who grins like he’s won something without actually knowing what that something was. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go speak to him about something for the night.”

Hinata nods, going off to find Kageyama. Akaashi skates over the ice, heading straight for Oikawa, who has strategically hidden behind Suga, the silver haired man confusedly stopping speaking.

“Suga-san, hello. Oikawa-san, I would request you don’t tell Hinata to pick up  _ condoms _ for tonight,” Akaashi’s voice is cordial and low enough so that no one can overhear. Suga’s eyes briefly go wide and he karate chops Oikawa in the side, who lets out a yelp.

“Kou-chan! You’re supposed to be on my side!” Oikawa cries out, leaning over to clutch his side. Suga rolls his eyes.

“Shut up, ya big baby! Don’t go around spoiling their purity,” Suga scolds Oikawa. Akaashi thinks that Suga looks like a mother scolding her son for picking on her other, more innocent child. They do call Suga mom for good reason. 

“Perhaps Aka-chan over here can make use of some with Bokuto.” Oikawa smirks, regaining his previous, bratty posture. Akaashi, usually very composed, feels his face quickly heat up. He can only imagine how red his face must be at that. Of course, Akaashi found Bokuto very attractive and he often pondered their lessons becoming dates. They felt more like dates, if he was being honest. Bokuto would bring small presents and trinkets that he had seen and announced that because they reminded him of Akaashi, he simply had to buy them and bestow them upon the smaller man. Akaashi, ever so graciously, always accepted and reminded Bokuto that he really didn’t have to do that for him.  _ Nonsense _ , Bokuto insisted. Well, Akaashi could go down that rabbit hole of  _ what ifs _ that seemed to just reflect reality, but he doesn’t have the time in the day for that. So, instead, he flips Oikawa off and skates away. 

“You know I’m right! There’s no place like a haunted house to get it on!” Oikawa yelled across the ice. Just when Akaashi believed it couldn’t get worse, Oikawa opens his mouth again and shatters the glass ceiling on Akaashi’s embarrassment. He can’t think of a witty comment, so he shoves his earbuds in and resolves to go through his program once more. Instead of thoughts of flying, he thinks of Bokuto and Oikawa’s teasing.

-

After practice and much needed showers, the figure skaters parted to gather their respective items for the night. Akaashi had meant to make plans with his friends to drive together to the haunted house before Bokuto had distracted him with a loud  _ Hey, hey, hey! _ and the smell of something nice. 

“Happy Halloween, Akaaaaashi!” Bokuto greets him, wrapping him in a tight hug. Akaashi hugs him back, closing his eyes and letting himself get lost in the warmth and the smell. The raven haired man wondered what it was, but decided that he didn’t care. Whatever it was, he wishes that he could surround himself in it and call it a night. Bokuto gives Akaashi one last squeeze, before pulling away and telling Akaashi every detail of his rather uneventful day. The shorter man wasn’t listening, instead focusing on the way Bokuto seemed to speak with his entire body, acting various parts out.

“-how about that, ‘Kaashi?” Bokuto finally ends his speech, looking at the figure skater expectantly. In moments like this, Akaashi wishes that he wouldn’t get so stuck in his head.

“I’m sorry, what was that, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asks for clarification, giving Bokuto a small and apologetic smile.

  
“I asked if you want a ride up to the haunted house tonight,” Bokuto replies, his eyes briefly flashing with an emotion that is gone too quickly for Akaashi to even begin to decipher.

“Of course, Bokuto-san. I would love that,” Akaashi accepts the invitation, which significantly brightens Bokuto’s already good mood. Bokuto wraps Akaashi in another hug.

“We’ll meet at the main building at seven, okay? Great! I’m so excited, Aghaaaaashi!” Bokuto yells out, already retreating to the locker room. Akaashi waves goodbye and leaves the rink quietly.

-

When the clock strikes 7 PM, Akaashi takes one final look at his costume and heads downstairs. This year, he had been roped into doing a group costume with Oikawa, Suga, and Sakusa. Of course, it was spaced themed. Oikawa and Suga decided that they would dress as aliens, forcing Sakusa and Akaashi to dress as astronauts. As much as Akaashi liked Halloween, he never had good ideas for costumes. He was thankful that his friends roped him into it. When Akaashi arrived at the first floor, helmet in hand, it was pretty empty, save for a few employees. Akaashi’s family lived at the main lodge, his mom switching between the largest suite on the top floor and a cabin. Akaashi stayed in his hotel suite, situated on one of the top floors. It was large and roomy, but it didn’t feel like a home. It simply reminded him that this was all ephemeral and would be gone soon. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Bokuto calls out, standing up from his spot on a couch. Akaashi nearly faints right then and there when he sees exactly what Bokuto is dressed as. His costume seems to be the remnants of a Perry the Platypus onesies, torn in all of the right (or wrong) places. When Oikawa had made the comment about  _ slutty costumes _ , Akaashi only had assumed that the tall brunette would dress sluttily and call it a day. He didn’t actually expect anyone else to bite. And yet, here they are.

“Hello, Bokuto-san. You look…” Akaashi begins, pausing because he is not entirely sure how to describe how the taller man looks.

“Amazing, right? Kuroo is dressed as sexy Doofenshmirtz. We went as partners this year! What are you? An astronaut?” Bokuto has a large grin on his face, appreciating the costume on Akaashi. His quick up-and-down look on the raven haired man’s body caused red to quickly overtake his face.

“Yes, I am. Oikawa-san and Suga-san are dressed as aliens and Sakusa-san and myself are dressed as astronauts,” Akaashi explains. Bokuto nods, eager to listen. They begin to walk towards Bokuto’s car, chatting about the day and what everyone was up to. Akaashi found it easy to talk with Bokuto. He never felt like Bokuto was saying something he didn’t mean. It was refreshing.

Bokuto’s car was a small sedan, looking a little beat up. Akaashi had always thought that Bokuto was wealthy, as he lived in the general area of the ski resort. Perhaps he wanted to buy his own car? He was getting ahead of himself, drawing conclusions and making assumptions without knowing the information. Once they’re in the car, Bokuto turns the radio on and American music fills the car.

“Bokuto-san, can I ask you a few questions?” Akaashi asks, placing his hands in his lap and looking over at the bigger man as they begin to drive to the haunted house. Bokuto had set up his phone on Google Maps, the ETA being close to twenty minutes.

“Of course, ‘Kaashi. Anything you wanna know!” Bokuto exclaims, grinning happily at the skater in his car.

“Why is your jersey number four and not number one?” Akaashi asks, keeping his eyes on Bokuto. Bokuto slightly fidgets, giving him a glance and a nervous smile.

“Well, it was my grandpa’s number when he played hockey. My grandparents are the ones who raised me. They mean a lot to me, ya know? I want to make them proud,” Bokuto replies, his voice quiet, yet firm in resolution. Akaashi gently moves a hand off of his lap and places it on Bokuto's shoulder, giving him a soft squeeze.

“Thank you for trusting me with that information, Bokuto-san.” Akaashi’s mouth twitched upward into a small smile, catching Bokuto’s eye as he briefly glanced over. His face heats up, pink painting over his skin. “I will tell you about my family.”

“No, no! You don’t have to. Don’t feel pressured because I told you about mine,” Bokuto quickly gets out, the pink turning into red once he hears Akaashi’s quiet giggle.

“I want to tell you, Bokuto-san. You have become a close friend to me over the past few weeks. I trust you enough to tell you,” Akaashi says, not removing his hand from Bokuto’s shoulder. The tension in his shoulder lessens, giving Akaashi the go ahead. “I grew up with my mother, my father, and my little sister. When I was younger, my father was in a car crash. The other driver was drunk and ran a red light, killing both of them on impact. I don’t drink and I don’t drive. My mother tries her hardest to be good for us, but it’s hard running a ski resort and raising two kids.”

Akaashi’s friends hadn’t needed to hear about this. They had lived through this with him, experiencing the sorrow and the depression that had taken over the Akaashi family. The raven haired male never felt the need to tell anyone else outside of his close friends, but he felt close enough to Bokuto that he  _ wanted _ to tell him.

  
Bokuto brings one of his hands off of the steering wheel and to Akaashi’s hand on his shoulder. He rests it atop of the smaller man’s, giving it a small squeeze. They ride in silence for the rest of the trip, the only noise in the car coming from the soft music from the radio. 

When they arrive, Bokuto puts the car in park and turns the engine off. They briefly make eye contact before getting out of the car and begin to gather all of the supplies they were instructed to bring. The haunted house looked exactly like what Akaashi imagined it would: the outside was in disarray, with plants growing wildly in the front yard and the shutters were broken and in shambles, barely holding onto the house. 

“I hope the ghosts are nice,” Bokuto declares, looking determined. As to what he is determined about, Akaashi suspects he wants to befriend the ghosts. So, he laughs at the taller man, covering his mouth with his hand. 

“Aghaaaashi! Don’t laugh at me!” Bokuto whines, nearly dropping his bedroll. Akaashi rolls his eyes, gesturing for them to make their way inside. Bokuto holds out his arm for Akaashi, who places his hand in the crevice of his arm and allows himself to be led inside. 

As soon as they walk into the haunted house, the pair spots the enormous fort that the group has already begun to make. Kuroo is working on securing his own sleeping space, Kenma sitting on a pillow nearby and playing a video game. Kuroo is, as promised, dressed as a sexy Dr. Doofenshmirtz, while Kenma is dressed as what looks to be a cat. He is wearing all black with a cat eared headband. 

“Bro! You looked sexy as fuck!” Bokuto exclaims, tossing his bedroll down and running at Kuroo. Kuroo wolf whistles before giving his best friend a big hug. Akaashi calmly makes his way over to Kenma, sitting down next to him. The smaller boy gives Akaashi a quick smile and nod, before returning to play the game.

Shortly after Bokuto and Akaashi arrive, Kageyama and Hinata race in, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima walking at a more leisurely pace behind them. Hinata and Kageyama were dressed as Mario and Luigi, while Yamaguchi was dressed as Toad. Tsukishima wore his hockey jersey, in an attempt to avoid making a fool of himself. Kuroo and Bokuto immediately roped them into helping them make the pillow and blanket fort bigger, not giving them a chance to say no. Of course, Hinata and Kageyama took this as a competition and they set off to make their side of the fort the best. 

“I don’t know why we were told everyone to bring bedrolls when it seems as if we are all going to be sleeping on the blanket and pillow fort together,” Akaashi muses aloud, Kenma nodding after a few moments of thought. 

The rest of the gang arrives shortly thereafter, the pillow and blanket fort expanding with the addition of everyone’s pillows and blankets. Suga and Oikawa were dressed as aliens and Sakusa wore his astronaut costume, looking nearly identical to Akaashi. The Miya twins were dressed in 2000s clothing and Osamu wore a blond wig. When asked what exactly they were dressed as, Atsumu grinned and replied with  _ Zack and Cody! _ , whatever that meant. Iwaizumi is dressed in a godzilla costume, looking rather pleased at how his outfit; Daichi wore a dashing Captain America costume.

“Alright! The fort is done. Everyone may now claim a space,” Kuroo announces, diving next to Kenma. The younger members all piled their stuff on the other side of Kenma, Tsukishima grumbling about their noise level and how he’s never going to get to sleep. Bokuto settles down next to Kuroo, urging Akaashi to set up next to him. Akaashi could never say no to him, especially when he makes a face like that, so he sits down next to Bokuto. Oikawa and Suga drop down next to Akaashi, and much to Oikawa’s displeasure, Daichi joins them. The tall brunette has been acting better around Daichi, slowly becoming comfortable around him, but he still wasn’t certain if he was willing to let Suga go. Iwaizumi sits down with Daichi, giving Oikawa a pointed look that speaks volumes without acting uttering a single word. The Miya twins complete the circle, with Atsumu dragging Sakusa along with him. Once everyone has settled, they all turn their attention away from their things and towards each other.

“So...what are we doing tonight?” Hinata asks, sitting criss cross applesauce. Oikawa gets a devilish grin on his face at that.

“I’m glad you asked, Chibi-chan! Of course, since we are in a haunted house, scary story-telling is a must. I also brought cards and alcohol. We can play hide and seek tag. The options are endless!” Oikawa announces, grinning.

“Ooh, let’s play go fish!” Hinata elbows Kageyama, scrambling to get the cards before anyone else can. 

“Go fish is boring, dumbass!” Kageyama growls as Hinata comes back. Yamaguchi moves closer, happy to be involved regardless of the game. He keeps a tight grip on Tsukishima’s wrist, not-so-subtly letting him know that he can’t escape. Kenma decides to put his game down and partake in what will surely be an intense game of go fish. 

“Now that the kids are occupied, let’s drink!” Oikawa has already begun to dig through a cooler, pulling out a beer. He tosses one to Suga and Iwaizumi, then begins to drink his own. Daichi raises an eyebrow at the fact he wasn’t offered one, before taking a beer himself.

Akaashi notices that Bokuto doesn’t move to get a beer, instead happily nursing a water. He softly smiles, which is caught by Bokuto. They share a soft, unspoken moment, before Kuroo slaps them on the back. 

“Let’s play some truth or dare! If you don’t want to answer one, you have to drink,” Kuroo announces, grabbing a drink for himself and sitting between his two friends. Atsumu whoops in agreement, obviously excited. Akaashi resigns himself to playing, Kuroo’s hand on his back keeping him firmly in place. He catches Bokuto’s eye, who only mouths  _ sorry _ . 

“I’ll go first. Oikawa, truth or dare?” Kuroo asks, giving him a smirk and a wink. Oikawa rolls his eyes at that.

“Dare, Tetsu-chan. I never back down,” Oikawa smirks back, running a hand through his hair in preparation for the dare.

“Give us a little seductive dance,  _ Tooru-chan _ ,” Kuroo mimics him, releasing Akaashi and Bokuto and leaning back on his hands. Oikawa stands up, still dressed in his alien costume. It’s a green bodysuit that doesn’t go over his head; he is instead wearing a headband with stars at the end. In quite possibly the least seductive way possible, Oikawa begins to dance, pointing at Kuroo as he grinds the air. The room erupts into laughter, Suga torns between covering his eyes and filming (he decides to do that latter). Once Oikawa is done, he plops back down into his seat, giving Suga a cheeky smile. Bokuto, the next person in the circle, looks around for who will be his victim.

“Osamu! Truth or dare?” Bokuto asks, excitedly. 

“Truth,” Osamu replies and is promptly booed by his brother. Sakusa hits Atsumu, scolding him.

“What’s the worst thing you’ve done that you’ve blamed on Atsumu?” Bokuto asks. Atsumu quickly stops jabbing at Osamu, a wicked smile climbing to his face.

“Yes, dear brother. Reveal yer secrets to us,” Atsumu says, leaning his chin on his knuckle. Osamu narrows his eyes, then takes a shot to avoid answering the question. Atsumu whines, throwing himself at Sakusa, who oddly enough doesn’t shove him off at first contact.

“Alright, my turn to ask! Bokuto-chan, truth or dare?” Atsumu asks, taking another swig of his drink. Bokuto taps his chin, contemplating what he wants to do.

“Dare!” He settles on, looking too excited for someone who hasn’t drank at all.

“Do push ups until your next turn,” Atsumu declares. “Let us see those juicy biceps!” 

Everyone in the group groans at Atsumu’s comment, but Bokuto obliges. And so the game goes on.

-

After they tire of truth or dare and go fish, Hinata declares that he wants to play hide and seek tag. With a few objections, the group decides that they will indeed play the game (with flashlights, for safety). Since there were no lights in the house besides ones that they decided to bring, the haunted house looked absolutely daunting. They decide who will be ‘it’ in the only plausible way: the nose game. Kuroo and Daichi are the last two to notice what’s happening, sealing their fate to be the seekers in the game. 

“Alright! Everyone gets two minute to hide, since we don’t know the house. You can only go outside if you’re really close to the house,” Daichi announces the rules. Akaashi briefly entertains the idea that Daichi seems like he is a dad taking his kids camping. Before the idea can fester anymore, Daichi tells everyone they can hide. The group scatters, total chaos consuming the house. Akaashi leisurely leaves the room, aiming to hide by the front door. However, his arm is grabbed by a strong hand, pulling him down the hall. Despite the dark, he can see the multicolored hair and, like everything involving Bokuto, Akaashi goes with it. Bokuto pulls them up the stairs, to the top floor. The stairs creak as they run up them, like they’ve been there for a hundred years. They might’ve been. Bokuto pulls Akaashi into a closet in a room, closing the door behind them.

“How did you know about this?” Akaashi whispers, suddenly too warm and too close to Bokuto. The closet wasn’t big, certainly not made for two grown men to be hiding in. Bokuto wrapped his arms around Akaashi, so they fit more comfortably.

“I didn’t. Just thought we’d find a place eventually!” Bokuto grins as he speaks. Akaashi quietly shushes him, which causes Bokuto to mumble an apology. Akaashi can’t see his face while pulled against Bokuto’s chest, but from his voice, he thinks that the hockey player is still smiling. 

“We’re coming!” Kuroo’s muffled voice echoes through the house, causing Bokuto to hold onto Akaashi a little tighter. The shorter man can feel the hockey player’s heart racing. From what, Akaashi can only guess. He briefly entertains the thought that his heart was beating so fast because of their proximity, but that would be too easy. Too convenient for him, because this isn’t a love story and Akaashi isn’t a dashing protagonist. As much as he wishes that he was, wishful thinking will only hurt him.

His thoughts are quickly banished as the door to the room that they’re in opens and they are no longer alone. Akaashi grips onto the back of Bokuto’s shirt, his knuckles white and his breath quick from the anticipation of the game and the proximity of the seeker. Footsteps get closer to the door, closer and closer. With each step, the air in the closet becomes thicker with tension. From an onlooker perspective, it would’ve seemed like this was a horror movie and Akaashi and Bokuto were about to be caught by the axe murderer. Then, the footsteps abruptly stop as another voice sounds from the doorway.

“I think I found some people. Come on, Daichi,” Kuroo calls out and the footsteps pick up again, but this time they are heading away from the closet and out of the room. Both occupants of the closet let out breaths that they didn’t know that they were holding, Akaashi now all too aware of the touch of Bokuto’s skin that is peeking out from his torn costume. He swallows, his face surely ruby red. He silently wishes that the axe murderer would come back and ruin this moment.

“You feel warm,” Bokuto whispers. “Are you okay?”   
  


“Yes, I am okay, Bokuto-san. The closet is just stuffy,” Akaashi lies, not wanting to admit that he is flustered. He doesn’t want to admit that Bokuto is the reason he is red, the reason his heart is beating a million miles an hour (it’s easier to blame it on the game and their near demise). So, he says nothing and they wait as the game continues.

After what feels like an eternity, Akaashi looks up at Bokuto, whose eyes are already on his face. The taller man’s eyes flicker down to Akaashi’s mouth. Akaashi inches closer, his mind filled with only thoughts of Bokuto: his smile, his lips, his goofy laugh, his dumb outfit. He is so consumed in Bokuto that he doesn’t hear the footsteps approaching the door, quicker than before. Like the axe murderer knew they were in there and was ready to finally kill them. Right as Bokuto and Akaashi’s lips are about to meet, the door swings open. They attempt to leap apart, both slamming into the walls and grumbling in pain.

“Found ya!” Kuroo smirks, pleased with himself. “You two were the last ones hiding. Come on, everyone’s waiting downstairs. Suga wants to tell a ghost story.”

Bokuto and Akaashi briefly meet each other’s eyes, giving a shy smile before following Kuroo back down the stairs. He tells them about the crazier hiding spaces, but Akaashi isn’t listening. His eyes haven’t left Bokuto since they were interrupted. If they weren’t, would they have kissed? He lets his mind wander, further entertaining the idea that something between them was possible.

Once they reach the room, everyone is sitting around one lantern in the middle. It’s the only source of light in the room, adding to the dramatic effect of the story that Suga plans to tell. It looks like a campfire, Akaashi thinks. Akaashi sits down next to Oikawa, who is fiddling with his hair absent-mindedly. Bokuto and Kuroo sit down next to them, chatting about the game.

Suga suddenly clears his throat, causing the group to fall quiet and look at him. Sakusa and Atsumu are bundled up together, with the former in the latter’s lap in a rare show of affection. Kenma is leaning against Kuroo, playing his video game once more. Iwaizumi and Daichi watch Suga intently, both drinking beers and enjoying the company. Hinata, Kageyama, Yamaguchi, and Tsukishima are all sitting together, some (Hinata) looking more enthusiastic about the story than others (Tsukishima). 

“It began in the year 1923, when the Akaashi Ski Lodge was first built,” Suga began. “As many of you know, the ski lodge was nothing like it was today. It began small and humble, the original owner of the land having sold them this land a few years prior with only one condition: he was able to live the rest of his years out in this house without any interruption.

“He lived in this house for years, undisturbed by the outside word. He had his own garden and would hunt game for meat. The man lived off of himself and no one else, content with that lifestyle. He never got any visitors, as he had no family that he knew of. One day, when he woke up, he realized that his back door was open,” Suga continues. He stands up, walking around to create a more dramatic effect. “Thinking nothing of it, he locked his door and went about his business like usual. However, every morning, the back door would be open. One night, he decided to stay up to see who was doing it. He sat in his basement and turned the fire on. Almost immediately, he began to smell something...something charred…” 

Suga, now behind the younger skaters, gets quieter and closer to them. They shake as he continues. Hinata gasps, nervously grabbing onto Kageyama.

“In an attempt to make it stop, he put out most of the fire and looked up the chimney. Stuffed in the chimney were bodies of skiers and snowboarders, charred from the fire. In his surprise, he fell and the fire reignited, burning the man alive. To this day, they say that the ghosts of those he killed and the ghost of the man come out at night to hunt.”

Akaashi was not frightened. The story was likely fake and while Suga had a dramatic way of telling it, he was not easily scared. However, Bokuto, who was clinging to Akaashi and nearly crying, did not share the same opinion.

“Suga-san, that was so scary! How am I going to sleep tonight?” Hinata cries, further throwing himself at Kageyama, who tries to wrestle him away. Suga grins at Hinata. 

“I suggest you keep an eye out for the man. Who knows who he’ll come get tonight,” Suga warns Hinata, darkly. Hinata gulps, shaking his head in agreement. He then turns to Kageyama and begins discussing taking shifts to watch out for the man. 

“Good story, Suga-san. Where did you learn it?” Akaashi asks, running his fingers through Bokuto’s hair. The hockey player relaxes at the touch, but doesn’t let go. Akaashi can feel him trembling from fright.

“The internet. It’s a crazy place!” Suga laughs. “Were you scared, Oikawa?” 

“No, of course not! It wasn’t as good as an alien story, but it was alright,” Oikawa proclaims, teasingly. He laughs alongside the silver haired man. Behind them, Daichi takes a final gulp of his beer before tapping Suga’s shoulder.

“Suga? Can I speak to you for a moment?” Daichi asks, pulling Suga away from Oikawa. 

The brunette’s smile drops immediately, the feeling of helplessness filling his body. He knows what Daichi is going to ask, but there’s nothing he can do to stop it. Nothing he can say that will change what is about to happen. Half of his heart is about to leave him, and Oikawa isn’t ready for that yet. When Suga nods and stands, leaving with Daichi to go talk somewhere more private, Oikawa watches him go. Iwaizumi, picking up on the interaction, scoots over and gives his friend a small smile. 

“Come here, Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi mumbles, pulling Oikawa into a hug. The taller man tries to keep it together, not wanting to disturb the group and bring unwanted attention to himself and his present situation. Akaashi, picking up on this, moves forward and turns off the lantern.

“Perhaps everyone should get some sleep,” Akaashi suggests to the group, moving back to his seat. A few murmurs of agreement fall over the room, then silence. Oikawa lays down on his back, sadly. Iwaizumi gently running his fingers through his friend’s hair as Akaashi lays beside Oikawa, snuggling up to the man’s side and throwing an arm over his body. For a moment, no one moves and everything is silent. Then, Sakusa stands, gently apologizing to Atsumu before moving to lay on the other side of Oikawa. He doesn’t touch any of his friends, but his presence is made known and that’s all that matters to them.

“Dumbass!” Kageyama yells at Hinata.

  
“Shut up!” Everyone yells back.

-

The next morning, Akaashi is one of the first awake. He peels himself away from Oikawa, who took to clinging to the raven haired man like a koala somewhere in the night. Sakusa, like the madman that he is, is asleep on his back with his hand on his stomach. When Akaashi stands up to get a water bottle out of a cooler, he notices the front door open with Suga sitting outside. After grabbing a water bottle, he makes his way over to the doorway.

“You’re up early, Suga-san,” Akaashi comments, sitting down next to his friend.

“I couldn’t sleep,” Suga admits, glancing over at his friend. Akaashi notices the small, purple bags under the figure skater's eyes, but decides not to comment on them.

“Was it because of Sawamura-san?” Akaashi asks after a moment of silence. As much as he hates to admit it, he  _ is _ curious about what happened (as well as worried about his friends). Suga purses his lips, obviously deep in thought about what he wants to reveal.

“He asked me out last night,” Suga said, as if he wasn’t revealing the most obvious part of the ordeal.

“What did you say?” Akaashi asks, placing a comforting hand on Suga’s back.

“I told him that I’d think about it,” Suga whispers, burying his face in his hands.

“For someone who just got confessed to, you don’t seem very happy with it,” Akaashi lightly jokes, trying to make light of the situation.

“I just...I love Oikawa. I don’t know if I can stop that and I certainly can’t lie to Daichi about it. I told him that and he said that he understood and would be waiting for an answer, waiting for  _ me _ . Should I have said yes?” Suga looks over at Akaashi. Tears are welled in his eyes, seemingly telling Akaashi  _ speak fast or we’re jumping _ . 

If Akaashi were to be perfectly honest with his friend, he has no idea what to do. He was stuck in the middle of a wheel of secrets that he wasn’t able to reveal. If he told Suga that Oikawa felt the same, then perhaps it would speed up the revelation; but, it might also lead to Oikawa feeling as if Akaashi betrayed his trust. So, Akaashi doesn’t say that.

“Have you tried to talk to Oikawa about all of this? Tell him about how you feel?” Akaashi says instead. Suga chuckles lightly, wiping a tear from his pale skin.

“If he doesn’t feel the same, then our skating will reflect that. It won’t be good,” Suga replies, defending his lack of initiative. Akaashi knows that he’s just scared.

  
“Stop thinking about skating and start thinking about yourself. If you tell him how you feel, then maybe he’ll feel the same way. If not, it will give you room to move on.” Akaashi hopes that perhaps this situation can spur one of them to make a move. He regrets that Daichi had to get caught up in it.

“Yeah, maybe. I’ll think about it,” Suga says after a few long moments. He stands, wiping all of the tears and snot from his face. “We should go back inside.”

Suga walks back in, leaving Akaashi sitting on the porch. Perhaps he should learn to take his own advice.

“Are you coming?” Suga calls out to him.

“Yeah,” Akaashi replies. He stands and walks inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you like it thus far! i plan to keep updating over the past month. i'm done with high school (finally) so i'll be able to be attentive to updating and this fic :-)


	4. break a leg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Keiji,” Akaashi says before he can give it another second of thought.
> 
> “Huh?” Bokuto blinks.
> 
> “Keiji. My name is Keiji,” Akaashi repeats.
> 
> “...I know it is,” Bokuto frowns. “My name is Koutarou.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please forgive me for my lack of knowledge of how skating competitions are. i am running off of what i can pick up from the internet and like 2 shows that i've seen. if anyone has any pointers or can help guide me in the right direction, the help is appreciated!!
> 
> anyways, i hope you enjoy!

_ The rink is colder than normal this morning _ is the first thing Akaashi thinks as he steps into the ice rink, shaking off some snow from outside. It is bustling with people, skaters and spectators alike mingling in every corner of the once calm Akaashi Ski Resort rink. Today was another figure skating competition, a few days after the Halloween party. The group had grown closer since, having bonded over the shared fear of being murdered together in the woods. However, there was still a distinct rift between Suga and Oikawa that was clear to everyone. Akaashi guesses that they haven’t been able to talk about what had happened yet - and no one else wanted to say anything.

Before the figure skater can make it to the locker room, he spots the hockey team sitting together in the stands, dressed warmly with signs. Oh god,  _ signs _ . Akaashi glances at the locker room door, then decides that he can spare a few moments to investigate exactly what the signs say. As soon as he gets close, he is spotted by the team.

“‘Kaashi!” Bokuto exclaims, rushing over and embracing the smaller man, before spinning him around. 

“Good morning, Bokuto-san. Signs?” Akaashi remarks, mildly amused at the situation. Bokuto puts him down, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

“Yeah. The whole team got together to make them for you guys,” Bokuto admits, embarrassed. Akaashi thinks the pink that dances across his face is flattering and beautiful, his own face mirroring the hockey player in front of him. Loud wolf whistling and cat calling from the rest of the hockey team pulls them from their bubble and to reality.

“Right, right! You can’t see the signs until you’re on the ice. Go get ready!” Bokuto declares, beginning to shoo him off towards the locker room. Akaashi rolls his eyes, putting his hands up before walking towards the locker room. He barely makes out the sound of Kuroo telling Bokuto to stop staring at Akaashi’s ass. But, he hears it.

Once the raven haired skater is in the locker room, he sees that it is positively bustling with skaters, from their club and from many others. Akaashi makes his way to his locker, finding Sakusa giving glares to anyone who even attempts to sit in their section of the locker room. Suga and Oikawa are sitting on the same bench, but are not talking and are looking away from each other. Akaashi decides to sit by Sakusa, greeting his friends.

“Good morning. How is everyone?” Akaashi asks, tugging his jacket off and pulling out his skates. He begins to put them on and lace them up.

“Peachy,” Sakusa grumbles, giving another unsuspecting skater a glare that causes them to hurry off. “Just peachy.”

“I’m swell this morning,” Oikawa answers with fake chipperness. To anyone else, it would sound perfectly genuine. However, Akaashi, Sakusa, and Suga were not just anyone. They knew Oikawa. But, they knew this was not the place to bring anything up and inevitably start a fight.

“Suga-san? How are you doing?” Akaashi asks after he doesn’t reply. The man in question looks up with a small smile that is tinged with sadness. Akaashi hadn’t had the opportunity to talk to his friend about the situation with Daichi and Oikawa since they spoke at the haunted house.

“I’m alright. Ready for the day,” Suga says, sliding his blade protectors over his skates, then stands. He is wearing the same outfit that he showed the group the other month: a midnight blue costume with sequins sparse at the top, pooling at the bottom, like stars. Oikawa was wearing a nearly identical outfit, and he, too, put his blade covers on.

“It’s time to warm up,” Oikawa says before heading out. Suga gives Sakusa and Akaashi a wave, then follows his partner out of the locker room and presumably towards the ice. Akaashi turns his attention to Sakusa, who only gives a shrug before heading out himself. The curly haired skater was wearing a black skating costume with yellow and green bursts of color, swirling from the center of his chest to the sleeves on his arm.

Once Akaashi’s skates were on and the blade covers securely fastened, he took off his outer layer of clothing to reveal his own costume. His mom had commented that it reminded her of an owl, with a light brown base and white filling in the inside. His arms became wings when he wore this costume and that was his favorite part. After shoving his bag and coat in his locker, Akaashi heads towards the door of the locker room. 

While there were many faces in the room that Akaashi was not familiar with, there were also some from other clubs that he recognized. After the incident at Shiratorizawa, he was glad that Oikawa didn’t engage with their figure skating club’s members who were messing around in the locker room. Akaashi didn’t want any confrontation, so he only gave a polite nod when Goshiki Tsutomu smiled and waved at him. That spurred the rest of their club to look over at Akaashi. This unwanted attention caused him to speed up and exit the locker room rather quickly. They were a good club, if not a little too intense for Akaashi’s liking. He typically steered clear of their members, as he never really got along with any of them enough to call them friends.

_ Whatever _ , He thought.  _ There will be time to think later. _

Akaashi slid off his blade protectors once he was close enough to the ice and began to warm up. He glided over the ice with ease, briefly becoming distracted with the signs that the hockey team made. They were quite obviously not very artistic, as most of them were covered in poorly drawn pictures of the skaters or symbols that were reflective of them. The one that stood out to Akaashi the most was the one Bokuto was holding. It was simple and carefully done. Bokuto had drawn an owl with the text around it reading: Owl be Watching, Take Flight. He can feel his face warm up, making eye contact with the creator of the artwork. Bokuto gives him a big smile and a thumbs up, giving Akaashi the energy to do his program a hundred times in a row.

-

The individual skaters go first. Akaashi always feels calm before he competes, his nerves never flaring up until he begins to compete; then, the adrenaline takes over. He always chalks it up to the fact that he doesn’t have anything to be nervous about, but his friends just tell him that there’s something wrong with him. Sakusa is seated next to him, absentmindedly filing his nails. Sakusa was not one to be very emotional, especially when it came to performing. They both were great skaters, but Akaashi always considered him a friend before a rival. He wouldn’t let a petty score divide their carefully cultivated relationship. Sakusa wouldn’t ever admit it, but Akaashi knows he felt the same way. Maybe one day they would be on the Olympic team together. That was the dream.

They pass the time during the competition by talking. 

“Kenma is still out. I wonder when he’ll be back,” Sakusa says, looking up from filing his nails. Kenma was never too thrilled about skating, which was probably part of the reason that his hiatus and healing period was prolonged. His true passion lies with playing video games and steaming.

“Hopefully soon. Even though he doesn’t love skating, he is quite good at it,” Akaashi remarks, stretching his arms. Sakusa hums in acknowledgement, then begins to scowl.

“Akaashi-san, Sakusa-san, hello,” A man with silver hair approaches them, followed closely by Goshiki. Akaashi recognizes him as Semi Eita, a former pair skater who didn’t have the patience for a partner, so he decided it was best if he skated by himself. 

“Good morning, Semi-san,” Akaashi greets, as pleasant as he can be. While he wasn’t exactly fond of the man, it would be improper for Akaashi to be outright rude or disinterested, especially considering that his mother is hosting the competition. Sakusa, on the other hand, was not bound by this same responsibility.

“What do you want, Semi?” Sakusa asks, his voice filled with malice. Sakusa never got along with Semi. As far as Akaashi knows, there was never a huge, dramatic moment where they fought. It was always tense and uneasy, as their personalities simply never mixed. The fact that Semi was from Shiratorizawa didn’t help, either.

“What? I can’t say hi to friends?” Semi asks, a small frown on his face as he puts his hands on his hips. Sakusa narrows his eyes, unhappily.

“You can, but you won’t find friends here,” Sakusa counters, going back to filing his nails in peace. Akaashi gives Semi an apologetic smile. Goshiki is staring at the skaters, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly agape at the interaction. Semi rolls his eyes at Sakusa, then turns his attention back to Akaashi.

“So, I see the X Hockey Club is here to support you all,” Semi comments.

“Yes, they are,” Akaashi confirms, a little suspicious as to why Semi brought this up.

“The Shiratorizawa Hockey Club is also here,” Semi replies. “Maybe they’ll sit together. Goshiki, come on. Let’s go find Shirabu.”

“Yes, Semi-senpai!” Goshiki yells, bowing deeply to Akaashi and Sakusa before following Semi, like a puppy.

“I don’t like him,” Sakusa announces, as if it wasn’t the most obvious in the world. 

“I don’t care for him very much, either,” Akaashi says, sighing. He was not a fan of confrontation. Before either of them can open their mouths to continue complaining, Yamaguchi shyly walks over to them, sitting down between them.

“Hi Akaashi-san, Sakusa-san. How are you two today?” Yamaguchi asks.

“Fine,” They both reply at once, leaning back to look at each other behind Yamaguchi’s back in mild amusement.

“How are you doing, Yamaguchi?” Akaashi asks, placing a comforting hand on his back. Yamaguchi jumps slightly at the touch, giving Akaashi a nervous smile. The younger skater, while not as bad as Hinata, often got nervous before performing. 

“I’m nervous,” Yamaguchi admits, his cheeks warming up at the sudden attention of his seniors. Sakusa briefly stops filing his nails, giving Yamaguchi all of his attention. “Did you guys know that the hockey players are here? They made signs.”

“I saw them earlier,” Akaashi admits. “Did someone make you a sign, Yamaguchi?”

This causes the blush on Yamaguchi’s face to intensify. It’s pretty obvious to everyone that Yamguchi and Tsukishima share a mutual crush on each other, despite Tsukishima’s emotional constipation. Akaashi didn’t know how that would work or the appeal, but to each their own. 

“T-Tsukki did,” Yamaguchi mumbles, covering his face with his hands. “What if I mess up? I’m going to embarrass him!” 

Akaashi rubs calming circles in the younger skater’s back in an attempt to calm him down. Sakusa, who didn’t want to touch Yamaguchi and didn’t know what to say, stared at him dumbly.

“You’re going to do just fine, Yamaguchi. You’re a good skater and no matter what happens, Tsukishima is going to be proud of you,” Akaashi says in a soft voice. “Do you want us to get Hinata or Kageyama?”

Yamaguchi shakes his head, then abruptly stands, looking resolute. 

“I can do this. I can do this!” He announces, then stomps off, presumably towards the ice. As if on cue, Yamaguchi’s name is announced.

“Let’s go watch him,” Akaashi suggests to Sakusa, who nods and stands. As they make their way over to the ice to watch Yamaguchi, they can see him gliding over the ice towards the middle. His costume is a beautiful light yellow, with white outlines and stitching. The entire rink falls silent as the music starts: “Prologue” from  _ Beauty and the Beast _ . Yamaguchi begins with his arms wrapped around his body, slowly unraveling himself as the music plays. He then begins to glide across the ice, the tempo of the song picking up. 

As Yamaguchi flies around the ice, he tells a story. He is no longer himself, instead taking on the role of villager, who is physically trapped by society, by bars. His movements are contained to the center of the ice, slowly edging out as the song carries on; his movements become less constricted and more unconfined. For two and a half minutes, the entire audience was a part of the story. They were in the village, in the castle, the cell. Every emotion that the villager felt was echoed in the spectators. Suddenly, they were escaping confinement and a simple life, unlocking their lover’s heart.

While Yamaguchi was not an exceptionally amazing jumper, he made up for it with his storytelling performance. As soon as his program ended, the entire rink burst into applause, roses and various gifts being thrown towards him. As he skated off of the ice, he fell into Akaashi’s open arms, giving him a tight hug.

“That was amazing, Yamaguchi. We’re proud of you,” Akaashi tells him, causing the younger skater to break into a blush and a huge smile that surely hurt his cheek. The sound of someone clearing their throat brought Akaashi, Sakusa, and Yamaguchi’s attention to Tsukishima, whose face is just about as red as the roses in his hands.

“Um...I got these for you,” Tsukishima mumbles, thrusting the roses out to Yamaguchi, who blinks once, then twice. The tall blond’s resolve falters slightly, giving Yamaguchi an opening to jump at him with his arms wide open. Tsukishima catches him and they share a tight embrace, the smaller skater bursting into laughter (and tears, but no one else needs to know that). 

In an unspoken agreement, Sakusa and Akaashi decide to give them space and walk away, back to their bench. Unbeknownst to each other, they are both thinking of if they will be receiving roses today.

-

Sakusa skates before Akaashi. He lands all of his jumps perfectly, doing them in such a way that makes figure skating looking easy to anyone. Akaashi always felt like Sakusa was telling the audience  _ try me _ when he skated, taunting them with his superior skill and peaceful aura on the ice. His music was “Esperanza” by Maxime Rodriguez, which perfectly matches his tempo. 

As soon as Sakusa finished, roses and gifts were thrown onto the ice. The curly haired skater was never one for gifts and affection, so he politely bowed and booked it off of the ice. He gave Akaashi a curt nod before hurrying off with the promise of  _ I’ll be watching _ . Akaashi could only wonder if he was off to a secret rendezvous with Atsumu. However, he didn’t have much more time to ponder that, as his name was announced.

Akaashi took off his blade covers and entered the rink. As soon as he stepped onto the ice, he felt free. His makeshift wings on his arms became real ones and he extended them, stopping in the center of the ice. As the first note of the music begins, Akaashi slowly begins to take flight. He glides across the ice masterfully, his entire body moving effortlessly. As the tempo steadily increased, so did Akaashi’s movements. His body movements were fluid and intense, reminding everyone in the rink that he was there and he was free, flying high above everyone else. Before every jump, he held his breath. Once his feet reconnected with the ground, he let it out. For two minutes, Akaashi was not a man on ice, he was an owl, flying in the calm of the night. 

He brought himself back to the center of the ice, stopping and wrapping his arms around himself, the music fading to silence. He was given the same treatment as Yamaguchi and Sakusa in terms of objects thrown at him and applause. Akaashi bowed, then fled the ice happily. As soon as he got off of the ice, Semi passed him with a sickly sweet smile on his face.

“Good job, Akaashi-san,” Semi said, taking off his blade protectors as Akaashi was putting his on.

“Good luck, Semi-san,” Akaashi replied, walking away. He didn’t get far before he was wrapped in strong arms that quite literally made him take flight; his feet weren’t touching the floor anymore. 

“Aghaaaaashi! That was amazing!” Bokuto exclaims, jumping up and down. Akaashi felt like a ragdoll in a dog’s mouth, completely at the mercy of the beast that has him within his grip. He didn’t really mind, so Akaashi said nothing. Instead, he laughed and enjoyed the moment.

“Keiji?” A woman’s voice calls out, causing Bokuto to lower him abruptly. They both look over, a tall woman with wavy black hair stands, holding flowers and the hand of a little girl with similar hair.

“Mom, Suki, hi. This is Bokuto Koutarou, the captain of the X Hockey Club,” Akaashi introduces him to his mother and his little sister. Akaashi Hana was a kind and quiet woman who fell in love with a man on a ski lift. Keiji was born a few years later and was thereby destined to take over the Akaashi’s Ski Resort. Ten years after, Akaashi Suki was born and on the way to the hospital, the love of Hana’s life died before ever seeing his second child. 

Bokuto deeply bows, causing Hana to laugh.

“No need to be so formal, honey,” Akaashi’s mom says, pulling Bokuto into a hug instead. Bokuto prides himself as a good hugger, so he puts his best foot forward and gives his best one. 

“Nii-chan! You did so good!” Suki rushes over to his older brother, jumping into his arms. 

“Thank you, Suki,” Akaashi lightly places a kiss on her cheek as Bokuto and Hana part, the tall hockey player giving his signature toothy smile.

“Hi, Suki!” Bokuto greets her. Immediately, a blush that rivals the tint of the roses Yamaguchi received earlier springs to life across her cheeks. Like her brother, she is almost instantly smitten with Bokuto. Pinning for tall, happy-go-lucky men must run in the Akaashi bloodline.

“H-Hi, Bokuto-san,” Suki says, shyly giving him a smile before burying her face in her older brother’s shoulder. 

“That was an excellent performance, Keiji. Your father would’ve been proud of you,” Hana’s voice is soft, placing a hand on her son’s unoccupied shoulder. Keiji smiles back at her. If Akaashi were to be completely honest, that was the best compliment anyone could ever give to him. In the years that his father was alive, the two were inseparable. They did everything together, including figure skating. His father was the man who introduced him to the ice and first gave him the option of flight; Akaashi strived to be like him, strived to make him proud. Inside, he was screaming in happiness. But, that was not who he was, so he settled on a pleased smile.

“Thank you, mom,” Keiji replies, giving her a smile and putting Suki down.

“I have to take Suki off to ski lessons, keep me updated on how everyone does, honey! I can’t wait to hear about your score,” Hana tells Keiji, giving him a kiss on the cheek before grabbing Suki’s hand and waving. She hands Akaashi the flowers she brought him, beautiful, pink carnations. “Goodbye to you, too, Bokuto!”

“Goodbye, Akaashi-san! Goodbye, Suki!” Bokuto waves goodbye to 2/3rds of the Akaashi family. Soon, Bokuto and Akaashi are left by themselves.

“Your family is really nice, ‘Kaashi,” Bokuto muses aloud, looking very dopey and happy. Akaashi wishes he could stay in this moment forever. Or, at least, take a picture of Bokuto’s face so he can have a souvenir to remind him of it. 

“Keiji,” Akaashi says before he can give it another second of thought.

“Huh?” Bokuto blinks.

“Keiji. My name is Keiji,” Akaashi repeats.

“...I know it is,” Bokuto frowns. “My name is Koutarou.”

“No, Bokuto-san. You can call me Keiji,” Akaashi clarifies, too embarrassed to even look at his companion. Instead, his hands are suddenly the most interesting thing to look at. When Bokuto doesn’t reply, Akaashi suddenly begins to lose his nerve. He wonders if he overstepped the boundary between friends and something more and if that made the hockey player nervous. His mind is too preoccupied with red sirens and a flashing sign with the words  _ you messed up! _ to even begin to formulate a plan on how to fix this.

Before Akaashi can open his mouth again to apologize and take it back, Bokuto wraps him up in a gentle hug, like Akaashi is his most prized possession and he doesn’t want anything to happen to him. All of the red sirens stop at the same time, leaving Akaashi with white noise.

“Call me Koutarou,” Bokuto speaks up, his voice just as gentle as their embrace. Akaashi takes it back. He wishes he could have called in a camera crew to record this entire moment from several different angles for prosperity. So that when Akaashi is 80 years old and sitting on his couch with nothing to do, he could turn this on and watch it over and over again until he remembers the exact emotions that were consuming him.

“Koutarou,” Akaashi says, testing the new name out. 

“Keiji.” He decides he likes his name a little more when he hears it from Bokuto.

-

Oikawa Tooru was utterly fucked. And not in the way that he would like to be. For the sake of his friendship with Suga, he had initially taken the stance that he wouldn’t ask about what he deemed the “Daichi situation”. However, when Suga never brought what happened at the haunted house up and acted like it didn’t happen, Oikawa decided that perhaps he took the wrong path.

Because Oikawa cared too much and didn’t know how to show it.

His parents were fine people when they were around. They never argued much, never yelled at Oikawa. And maybe that was the problem. They never really showed much of any emotion, positive or negative. If Oikawa was asked if his parents loved each other, he wasn’t sure if he could answer  _ yes _ . If not for the fact that he had their blood running through his veins, he wasn’t sure if they would love him. They were hardly around, but Oikawa guesses that's the sacrifice they made in order to give their son a lifestyle where he didn’t need to want anything because he already had everything (but, the only thing he wanted was family).

In short, Oikawa didn’t know what love was. He knows that he wishes that he could wake up next to Suga every day for the rest of their lives. That he wishes that Suga thought of him the way that he thought of Suga, that he could be the reason that Suga smiles, that he couldn’t picture himself with anyone else. But, would that be enough for Suga? Is that love? 

In hindsight, perhaps Oikawa shouldn’t have been contemplating love and if he is truly capable of feeling it before his program with Suga. That’s what threw him off of his game.

But, he couldn’t help it. When they were warming up, he could see Daichi in the stands with a sign made specifically for only half of the duo. Particularly, the silver haired half. He saw the blush it brought to Suga’s cheeks, the way that he smiled sheepishly at the muscular man in the stands. While Oikawa wishes that Suga would look at him like that, he knows that he doesn’t deserve it. He is too scared to bring him flowers or make signs or confess his undying and embarrassing love for his best friend for fear that it would ruin everything. So, instead, Oikawa sucked it up and acted like he missed the blush on Suga’s face and the smile, when in reality, it was all he could think of. 

Suga certainly acted like it never happened.

Despite Oikawa trying his hardest not to drive a wedge between them, it inevitably began to clip at their bond. He could hardly stand to be in the same room as Suga these past few days, in fear that he would say something out of turn, whether that be confessing his love or bashing Daichi.

“I’m going to watch Hinata and Kageyama. Do you want to come?” Suga’s soft voice brings him out of his thoughts that cripple his self-esteem to another topic that will inevitably lead to his demise. It was no secret that Kageyama and Hinata were rising stars, quickly catching up to Suga and Oikawa at an unprecedented rate. Just like everything Oikawa did, he wasn’t good enough to be the best. He knew that he would eventually let Suga down and the freak duo would surpass them.

“No,” Oikawa rejects the offer, not wanting to watch everything he’s worked for pale in comparison to his juniors. Suga is gone before Oikawa can look up from his hands. But, Oikawa hasn’t met his daily misfortune meter yet, and the Gods can’t have that.

“Hello Oikawa,” Ushijima says, sitting down next to him without even asking first. But, what else can be expected from a socially unaware, man beast whose only goal in life is to bother and annoy Oikawa until - well, everyone gets the point.

“What do you want?” Oikawa grumbles, not in the mood for any  _ you should’ve come to Shiratorizawa _ bullshit at the moment. Not that he was ever in the mood for it.

“To apologize. And to wish you luck,” Ushiwaka declares, then turns towards Oikawa. “I apologize for offending you at the hockey game. I did not know that saying my opinion hurt your feelings. However, I will avoid saying that one in particular in the future, no matter how much I believe you should’ve come to Shiratorizawa.”

“You do realize that when you’re apologizing for saying ‘You should’ve come to Shiratorizawa’, you shouldn’t say ‘You should’ve come to Shiratorizawa’!” Oikawa exclaims, exasperated at how thick Ushiwaka’s skull must be. 

“But, you said it twice,” Ushijima says, a small frown coming onto his face.

“I can say it! You  _ can’t _ !” Oikawa defends himself, growing more and more angry by the second. How  _ dare _ Ushijima walk over here with the false pretense of apologizing when he simply aimed to piss Oikawa off more?

“I apologize if I upset you more.” He bows his head at Oikawa, who hates that his voice is laced with sincerity.

“Yeah, whatever. I appreciate your apology or whatever you call that, but I want to be alone right now. So, go back to wherever you came from,” Oikawa grumbles, only mildly annoyed at the apology. Ushijima stands, then bows to Oikawa.

“Good luck,” Ushiwaka says before leaving.

In hindsight, perhaps Oikawa shouldn’t have let Ushijima get to him as the program inched closer. That’s what fueled his frustration.

Suga eventually returns to find Oikawa aggressively playing a game on his phone (he loses). They don’t speak and the air is heavy. Oikawa fears that if he speaks, the air will suffocate him. So, he doesn’t even try. 

“Kageyama and Hinata did well,” Suga eventually says, looking over at Oikawa. The tall brunette glances over, then back at his hands. 

“We’ll be okay,” The silver haired man speaks again, reaching out and putting a hand on Oikawa’s shoulder. Without thinking about it, he leaned into the touch, closing his eyes. He even lets Suga move closer, wrapping his arms around Oikawa’s shoulder and pulling him into an embrace. They stay like this for seconds, minutes, hours. Oikawa doesn’t know and he doesn’t care to know. 

For a moment, it feels normal.

It feels like the time before Oikawa and Suga’s first performance. Oikawa got scared and ran outside once he saw that his parents weren’t there to watch in the stands. Suga found him curled up under a tree, tears streaming down his face, and did what any sensible friend would do in that moment: karate chopped him in the head then wrapped him up in a bear hug. From that moment forward, Suga became Oikawa’s family. He doesn’t need his mother or his father in the stands, looking disinterested and ready to leave. He only needs his partner on the ice. It didn’t make the situation at hand any easier or simpler, but it comforted Oikawa to know that it wasn’t Daichi on the ice with Suga, it was Oikawa. 

All too quickly, they are interrupted. The peace of mind that Oikawa had begun to gather in the moments where he was held by his partner quickly shattered, leaving him yearning for some sense of resolution.

“Hi Suga. Oikawa. I just wanted to say good luck before you perform,” Daichi said to the silver haired man, who pulled away from the embrace. The hockey player was kind enough to acknowledge the brunette, but it was obvious to anybody that the real reason he came was for the boy he had a crush on. So, Oikawa decides to tune them out in the hopes that ignorance really is bliss (it isn’t). After a few minutes of Daichi and Suga bantering back and forth about the skating competition thus far, Oikawa wishes he knew exactly why Suga’s lips would inch into a smile or his brow would furrow ever so slightly. But, he couldn’t stop himself from listening to any other noise to avoid hearing Suga laugh because of Daichi.

Daichi eventually leaves with promises of him watching their performance. He even tells Oikawa good luck separately before returning to the stands. He wishes that he hadn’t.

In hindsight, perhaps Oikawa shouldn’t have been present for that conversation at all. That’s what pushed him over the edge.

Their names are called and Oikawa all but rips his blade protectors off of his skates in order to get out of the room. The air was too thick and he felt like he was suffocating. Suga isn’t far behind, not masking the worry in his face, but Oikawa can’t bring himself to stop. Once they’re on the ice, Oikawa can’t bring himself to pretend to be fine, to put on a fake smile, to do any of the various steps of his routine. Akaashi can tell something is very wrong; Sakusa tenses up. 

There’s nothing more they can do before the music starts and fills the room. Oikawa won’t look at Suga. He won’t look at anyone. As “Come Gentle Night” by Abel Korzeniowski floods his ears, the pair begin. Oikawa’s usual show presence is gone and is replaced by tension. Nearly everyone in the room can feel the air suddenly thicken, teasing the audience. His movements are scattered and rough, lacking his usual grace.

But, Suga trusts him and allows Oikawa to lift him and catch him. His touch is rougher than normal, more sporadic and uncalculated.

Suga trusts him.

The song’s tempo increases as the pair glide across the ice, in perfect sync with one another as they approach a jump that they have done numerous times in other programs and in practice. Every time, they have nailed it, so Suga trusts him. As they approach the corner, Suga and Oikawa take flight in perfect and natural harmony. Everything is normal.

Until Oikawa falls. 

The bloodcurdling sound that his leg makes on impact with the ice is second only to the noise that comes out of Oikawa’s mouth when he realizes what has happened. Suga lands the jump without a problem, quickly rushing to his partner’s side. Akaashi wastes no time, calling an ambulance to come get his friend. 

  
The entire stadium is silent.

“It hurts!” Oikawa wails, tears running down his face. He clutches his knee, wishing that he would wake up and this would all be just a dream. Suga can’t bring himself to look at the knee, knowing that it can’t be good. 

It seems like forever has passed before anyone else can move.

Thankfully, they had landed not far from the edge of the ice and Oikawa could easily be moved onto more solid ground and off of the slippery ice that had betrayed him (or maybe he had betrayed himself). Akaashi and Iwaizumi are at his side in seconds, unsure of what to do. Suga has one of Oikawa’s hands clutched in both of his own, whispering nothing and everything in his partner’s ear in an attempt to help.

Oikawa keeps screaming.

He keeps screaming when the ambulance arrives. He keeps screaming when he is taken out of the building with Suga at his side. He keeps screaming until they get him to the hospital and he is sedated after lashing out at a few nurses. 

In hindsight, perhaps Oikawa shouldn’t have skated today. That’s what could’ve cost him his future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay so i need some audience input!! i have two ideas for injuries for oikawa. one is really severe and the other is a common one. which would you rather prefer befall our local dumbass?? the severe injury would likely end in his skating career actually ending and the common one would only be a temporary set back.
> 
> btw, my social media if you want to talk to me! (my name is lily btw)  
> twitter: akaashilily  
> tumblr: breathechlorine
> 
> i hope you enjoyed the chapter!!! leave kudos and comments!


	5. aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi nods, lazily stretching his arms out.
> 
> However, he wasn’t looking when he did so and punched Bokuto right in the face. Bokuto squawks, and if this were a different moment, perhaps one where Akaashi didn’t just nail his friend in the face, he would’ve laughed and called him an owl. However, this wasn’t a different moment and Akaashi stared in horror as Bokuto held his now bleeding nose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! the beginning of this chapter was so hard for me to write for some reason. it took me a few days to find somewhere where i could start comfortably. i really hope you like the update!!

The visit to the emergency room wasn’t as long as Oikawa had expected it to be. When he arrived, the doctor carefully popped his kneecap back into place and checked him for a concussion after Suga explained exactly what happened to his partner. He did have one. The doctor took Oikawa for an x-ray to check if the dislocated kneecap damaged any of the bones around it. It didn’t.

The doctor told Oikawa that he got lucky and that a dislocated kneecap and a concussion were common injuries and he would be back on the ice in four to six weeks at least. But, Oikawa didn’t feel very lucky. He was told to rest up and ice his knee for the following weeks. As for his concussion, avoid light and his phone. 

“I’ll take good care of him,” Suga promised the doctor, bowing deeply and thanking the woman for her help. The doctor smiled at Suga, then left the room. Suga grabbed the crutches that were leaning against the wall and offered them to Oikawa.

“I’ll help you, come on. Akaashi says that him and Bokuto are outside waiting for us,” Suga tells his partner in a soft voice. Oikawa had barely spoken the entire trip. After he calmed down at the hospital, he was filled with mortification at the fact that he fell in front of everyone at the rink. He was filled with disappointment at the fact that he not only embarrassed himself, but he also brought Suga down, too. So, he resolved to not speak for the fear of not knowing what to say.

“Hey, quit that,” Suga scolds, as if he could tell what Oikawa was thinking. The brunette eventually lets Suga help him adjust to the crutches and lead him out of the hospital, despite feeling even more embarrassed at the fact that he can’t even walk without help now. They were moving slowly, as Oikawa had never had to rely on crutches before. But, Suga didn’t seem to mind, matching the taller’s pace.

“Do you know what Bokuto’s car looks like?” Suga asks, looking around as they step outside of the hospital. Oikawa shakes his head. However, they aren’t left in the dark long as familiar black and white hair sticks himself out of a window and waves them down.

“Hey, hey, hey! Over here!” Bokuto yells, half of his body hanging out of the car’s window. Oikawa thinks that he can hear Akaashi scolding him as Bokuto is pulled back into the car; the two of them were very different in all regards, yet very taken with each other. Oikawa found it interesting. Suga laughs and Oikawa looks over, the first time he’s looked at his partner since he fell. Suga looks back and the brunette loses his edge, looking back at his feet. What can Oikawa say? He’s a sucker for Suga’s laugh.

Once they get to the car, Akaashi jumps out and gives Suga a hug before gently wrapping Oikawa up in a hug.

“Oikawa-san, we were all very worried about you,” Akaashi mumbles into Oikawa’s shoulder, giving him a squeeze before letting go. Oikawa smiles, but it must look more like a grimace based on the small frown that forms on Akaashi’s lips. Before Oikawa can even think of asking why he’s frowning, Suga is back at his side, helping the tall skater into the backseat of the car before climbing in after him; Akaashi returns to the passenger’s seat. 

The majority of the car ride is spent in silence, with the exception of the soft pop music coming from the radio. Oikawa almost wishes that he could say something, make a joke, lighten the mood. But, he can’t bring himself to open his mouth for the fear of suffocating on his own failure. So, instead, he stares out the window and imagines that life is different.

Thankfully, the car ride is also short. They arrive at the hotel at the ski resort and Bokuto pulls up to the front. Suga gets out of the car, then moves to help Oikawa out. He feels helpless as Suga pulls the crutches out of the car, then helps pull Oikawa out. 

“I’m going to take Oikawa up to his room. Thank you both for the help,” Suga tells the pair, who smile in sync. If Oikawa were in a better mood, he would’ve made fun of them for that. But, alas, Oikawa can’t win them all. Nowadays, he doesn’t think that he can win anything.

“If you need anything at all, Suga-san, please let me know,” Akaashi tells the silver haired man. Then, Bokuto drives off, leaving Suga and Oikawa standing at the mouth of the hotel.

“I wonder where they’re going,” Suga has a mischievous grin on his face, helping lead Oikawa inside. The sun has gone down and the hotel is bustling with people. Oikawa supposes that’s how it is at a ski resort: when the slopes close, the people flood to the hotel bars to take the edge off their white collar worries. 

When they board the elevator to go upstairs, it is too crowded for Oikawa’s comfort. Suga’s too, as it seems. The silver haired man has positioned himself in front of Oikawa, to block anyone from getting close enough to bump into his already injured knee. Suga reminds Oikawa of a guard dog, ready to strike anyone who even thinks of getting close to him. The elevator ride is longer than either of them like.

“Do you have your key?” Suga eventually asks, looking at Oikawa. Right, the key. The key that is in Oikawa’s wallet, that is in Oikawa’s bag, that he left at the rink. Fuck. Oikawa shakes his head, looking down at his feet. Suga places a hand on his arm, giving him a soft smile.

“It’s okay. You can come to my room. I have my key on me,” Suga says as the elevator dings, telling them that they’ve arrived at their floor. Getting out of the elevator is a hassle, but they get out mostly unharmed. Once they arrive at Suga’s door, he digs his key out of his pocket and opens the door.

Suga’s room is big, to say the least. But since when did Oikawa say the least? There’s a large bed by the windows on the farside of the room, with a door leading to the balcony. To the left of the door is a kitchenette with a couch and television between the bed and the kitchen. The bathroom is presumably behind the door on the right hand side of the room, but Oikawa is too caught up in the sight of a bed to bother to explore. He moves as fast as he can (which is not fast at all) across the floor to the bed, before collapsing face first into the blankets.

Despite being a hotel, it smells like Suga. Like home.

“I’ll get you some clothes. I have some large sleepwear that might fit you,” Suga says, digging through his drawers for a few moments. Once he finally finds what he’s looking for, he walks over to the bed.

Oikawa had been wearing his costume when he fell, so he had been wearing his costume when he got to the hospital. He didn’t have a change of clothes, so they cut through his outfit to get better access to his leg. Sacrifices, right?

The brunette skater rolls over, looking at the ceiling for a long moment before getting out of his skating costume. Oikawa really liked this one and he was disappointed when it was ruined. By the time Oikawa had begun to change, Suga had retreated to what he correctly assumed was the bathroom to also change. 

The clothing that Suga gave to Oikawa were sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt that read “Potato”. He didn’t have the mental capacity to question it at the moment, so instead he scooted further up the bed so his head could rest on the pillows. His head was pounding with pain and his leg was aching, but there wasn’t much he could do about it until Suga was finished changing.

As if on cue, Suga stepped into the room. He was just wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants, and yet he still looked like the most beautiful man that Oikawa had ever seen.

“Hi,” Suga says.

“Hi,” Oikawa can’t help himself but to finally respond.

“How are you feeling?” Suga asks, walking over to his kitchenette to grab one, two glasses. He fills them up with water and walks over to the bed.  _ His bed that he let you in _ , Oikawa reminds himself.

“I’m...in pain,” Oikawa admits. It feels good to get that off of his chest, even though it was quite obvious to anyone who heard him screaming. Suga chuckles, handing him a glass of water. He reaches into a drawer of the nightstand, pulling out some ibuprofen. Suga gives Oikawa two pills and the taller throws them in his mouth and swallows like his life depends on it.

Before he can say thank you properly, Suga is off again, going back to the kitchenette to get some ice for Oikawa’s knee.

“Koushi?” Oikawa calls out before he can stop himself. Suga finishes getting an ice pack, returning to his bed.

“Hm?” Suga looks up at him as the silver haired man places the ice pack on Oikawa’s injured knee.

“Thank you,” Oikawa says. They both look at each other at the same time and that moment lasts forever. No one moves or says anything as they stare at each other, their eyes speaking more than they ever could. 

“For you, anything,” Suga breaks the silence, his voice low and thoughtful. 

Oikawa will probably look back on this day and wonder why he suddenly had the balls to do what he had been putting off for years. Maybe it was the fact that he was exhausted from a long day, or the fact that his knee was swollen and hurting, or the fact that his head was swimming. Or maybe it was because Suga was wearing Oikawa’s favorite sweatshirt that he thought he lost last year. 

Oikawa’s hands found their way to Suga’s face and neck, the touch electrifying. They’ve touched before, hugging and joking around. But this was different; this was intimate and full of more emotion. 

Oikawa will probably look back on this day and wonder who leaned in first. 

Their lips meet in the middle and Oikawa briefly forgets how to breathe, how to move, how to do anything. Just as quick as he forgot, he remembers and deepens the kiss. Neither of them were inexperienced, but kissing Suga for the first time made Oikawa feel like he was stepping into the rink for the first time and seeing a small, silver haired boy spin around. It made Oikawa feel like he was falling in love again, like the rollercoaster he had been waiting in line for had finally taken off. 

As the kiss deepened, Suga tried to climb onto the bed, knocking into Oikawa’s bad knee. The brunette pulls away from the kiss, yelling out in pain.

“Kou-chan! My knee!” Oikawa cries out, causing Suga to roll his eyes.

“Back to your dramatics?” Suga questions, walking around the bed and crawling in on the other side. He lays down on his side, facing Oikawa.

“They never left,” Oikawa huffs, turning over to face his partner. Suga’s smiling softly at Oikawa and he feels like the luckiest man in the world.

“We should talk about this before we do anything more,” Suga says, reaching out and grabbing ahold of one of Oikawa’s hands. The brunette squeezed his partner’s hand, nodding in understanding. If he were to be honest, Oikawa was terrified. Despite having some indication that Suga actually liked him back, Oikawa was filled to the brim with doubt that would surely spill over any second now. But, before it could do so, Suga shuffled closer so that they were laying nose to nose.

“I really like you,” Oikawa blurts out, an army of red conquering his once tan face, settling in and not letting up, even when Oikawa covers his face with his free hand. Suga doesn’t reply for a moment, then another. Oikawa wishes that he could fall through the bed and disappear forever, that he could poof himself out of existence or die.

“I really like you, too,” Suga’s voice is just as soft as his touch when he pulls Oikawa’s hand from his face. Oikawa opens an eye to look at his best friend’s face, unsure if he is just humoring him or not. The look of Suga’s face is full of an emotion that Oikawa has never seen anyone look at him with. He’s seen people on the street look at each other like this, people in movies, but never anyone looking at him. He almost doesn’t recognize it, but he does. 

And instead of his doubt spilling over, tears do. 

  
Suga looks alarmed, like a deer in headlights. But, Oikawa can’t stop himself from sobbing and laughing, overwhelmed with happiness.

“What’s wrong?” Suga asks, wiping tears from Oikawa’s eyes as they fall. This has the opposite effect of what Suga was intending to do: Oikawa cries harder at the tender touch to his cheeks.

After a few minutes of intense crying, Oikawa begins to quiet down. Only a few residual tears remain on his rosy cheeks, but they are wiped away and forgotten as Suga cradles his face.

“What’s wrong?” He asks again, his voice gentle. They lock eyes and neither look away.

“I’m happy,” Oikawa croaks, his voice uneven from a combination of exhaustion and crying. Confusion flashes in Suga’s eyes, then understanding.

“Come here,” Suga mumbles, pulling Oikawa closer. He obliges, shuffling across the bed to the best of his abilities. Once he gets close enough, Suga wraps him in his arms, with Suga’s head resting atop of Oikawa’s. 

They lay in silence for a while, neither falling asleep. The silence is not hostile, but fulfilling. For the first time in a long while, Oikawa feels happy and safe, in the arms of his partner, the man that he has pined after for years upon years. The man who  _ likes him, too _ . 

“I’m happy, too,” Suga tells Oikawa, breaking the silence.

Oikawa Tooru and Sugawara Koushi went to sleep, loved and loving.

-

Akaashi has been standing on the sidewalk, gazing at the house in front of him for the past minute and twelve seconds, unmoving. Bokuto stands beside him, shuffling uncomfortably.

“Akaa- Keiji?” Bokuto gently calls out, his voice uncharacteristically quiet, but Akaashi hears him. For the first time in the past minute and twenty seven seconds now, Akaashi takes his eyes off of the house and they fall onto the man that he is with. He tilts his head in question as to what Bokuto wants.

“You were just...staring for a while. Are you okay?” Bokuto asks, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. Akaashi’s face goes red, opening his mouth and closing it, like a fish.

“Yes! Yes, I am okay. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I just didn’t expect you to live here. It looks so...calm,” Akaashi admits, moving forward to place a hand on Bokuto’s arm to reassure him. Bokuto nods, giving Akaashi a bright smile.

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to my Baba,” Bokuto says, leading Akaashi to the front door. If Akaashi were to be honest, he was terrified to meet his family. They hadn’t exactly talked about moving past the friends stage yet, despite nearly kissing on Halloween and now resolving to call each other by their respective first names. But, Akaashi hadn’t had the chance to start the conversation about what they were to each other before they arrived at Bokuto’s home after dropping Oikawa and Suga off.

He wasn’t given much more time to think as the door swung open, revealing a short, old woman with white hair and a large smile. She was holding a wooden spoon, her eyes first falling on her grandson, then falling on Akaashi.

“Koutarou! Who is this?” Bokuto’s grandmother (or at least, who Akaashi assumed was his grandmother) asked, gesturing to Akaashi.

“Baba, this is Akaashi Keiji,” Bokuto introduces him, giving his grandmother a brief hug. “His family owns the resort where I play! He is a figure skater and he is very talented.”

Akaashi found himself blushing at Bokuto’s praise, not used to being the topic of conversation when someone that loud was right next to him.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi greets her, then bows deeply.

“I have heard so much about you, dear! Come in, come in,” She invites the boys in, checking their weight to ensure that they are eating enough. While they certainly were, that didn’t stop her from fixing them up plates for dinner. 

While Bokuto’s grandmother is fixing dinner and Bokuto is changing in his room, Akaashi decides to look around the house.

Bokuto’s house is everything Akaashi’s isn’t: it’s a real home. There are photographs of him and his grandmother on nearly every surface, on nearly every wall. In some, there is a man with the same toothy smile as Bokuto, who Akaashi assumes is Bokuto’s grandfather. One in particular catches his eye. The picture is at an ice rink, the man who Akaashi assumes is Bokuto’s grandfather is standing proudly with a hockey stick, the number four on his chest. He is standing with Bokuto’s grandmother and they are staring at each other with love in their eyes. 

“They look good together, don’t they?” Bokuto’s voice brings him away from the photograph and to the hockey player in front of him. Bokuto has changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, smiling fondly at the photo in question. Akaashi nods, looking back at it.

“They look happy. Is that your grandfather?” Akaashi asks, gravitating closer to Bokuto. Bokuto nods, smiling softly.

“He passed away last summer,” Bokuto tells Akaashi, slinging an arm over the shorter man’s shoulders and pulling him closer. “It wasn’t anything dramatic. He just...went to sleep one night and never woke back up. It’s been lonely without him, but we manage.”

“I’m sorry for your loss. You look just like him,” Akaashi remarks, leaning into Bokuto’s touch and resting his head against Bokuto’s chest. 

“You really think so?” Bokuto’s voice is slightly higher and he sounds happy at Akaashi’s remark. Akaashi nods, closing his eyes.

“Ak- Keiji, I set out some clothes on my bed if you want to change,” Bokuto says. Akaashi hadn’t had time to change out of his costume in his rush to get the skating competition back on track and then get to the hospital to pick his friends up. 

“Thank you, Koutarou.” Akaashi opens his eyes, smiling up at Bokuto. Bokuto smiles back, then begins to lead him towards his room. The house is homely, not a space in the entire building wasted; it is filled with trinkets and photographs, random tables and benches. Once they reach Bokuto’s room, Akaashi enters and closes the door behind him. 

  
Bokuto’s room was exactly how he pictured it. It was a little bit of a mess, dirty clothing scattered across the floor instead of in his perfectly empty hamper. There were pictures and posters on his wall, most with the subject of hockey. On Bokuto’s bed were (hopefully) clean sweatpants, a t-shirt, and a sweatshirt. Akaashi stripped out of costume, stealing a hanger from Bokuto’s closet and hanging it up, so as to not wrinkle it. He then changed into the clothing that Bokuto left for him.

The first thing Akaashi noticed was how much the clothing smelled like Bokuto, then he noticed how soft they were. Akaashi sat down on the bed, burrowing his face in the oversized sweatshirt, appreciating the quiet that he had missed over the day. Akaashi was by no means an extrovert and the constant flood of people and talking wore him out. He closed his eyes, flopping down on Bokuto’s bed.  _ Just a few minutes _ , he told himself.

Before he could get comfortable, there was a knock on the door.

“Keiji?” Bokuto’s voice creeps under the door, rousing Akaashi from his rest. He opens his eyes just as the door opens, Bokuto walking in.

“Hm?” Akaashi mumbles, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. Bokuto has a soft smile on his face, walking over and sitting next to Akaashi.

“I didn’t know you were that tired. We can eat dinner and you can crash here, if you want,” Bokuto offers, carefully giving the shorter man space. Akaashi briefly entertains the idea that he hit the jackpot and this is all a dream. How can one man be so talented and kind and caring and  _ still _ like Akaashi? But, he does pinch himself and it does hurt, so he resolves to believe that this is reality for a little bit longer. Akaashi nods, lazily stretching his arms out.

However, he wasn’t looking when he did so and punched Bokuto right in the face. Bokuto squawks, and if this were a different moment, perhaps one where Akaashi didn’t just nail his friend in the face, he would’ve laughed and called him an owl. However, this wasn’t a different moment and Akaashi stared in horror as Bokuto held his now bleeding nose. 

“Koutarou, oh my god! I am so sorry!” Akaashi jumps up, his eyes wide as he looks around the room for napkins or paper towels or something to stop the bleeding. After finding no such thing, he grabs a dark shirt from the ground, handing it to Bokuto. The blood has already done some damage to Bokuto’s shirt, dripping steadily onto the white logo. Once Bokuto is using the dark shirt to catch the blood, Akaashi bows several times.

“I am so sorry, I didn’t mean to hit you,” Akaashi quickly apologizes, his face red in embarrassment for ruining the moment by quite literally decking his friend in the face.

“No worries!” Bokuto says, his voice muffled by the shirt in his face. “I didn’t like this shirt that much anyways.”

Akaashi blinks once, then twice before bursting into laughter. He thinks that Bokuto is laughing, too, but he can’t hear him over his own laughter. After everything that had happened today, all of the places Bokuto ran around for him, Akaashi ended up giving him a bloody nose in thanks. And Bokuto didn’t complain once, he just made a joke instead.

Akaashi would look back on this moment and know that it’s when he started to fall in love with the hockey player.

But, he is not in the future yet, and is instead laughing uncontrollably at the fact that he punched his friend in the face. After a minute of laughing, Akaashi quiets down. Bokuto is staring at him with an emotion Akaashi isn’t familiar with in his eyes, so Akaashi decides to say nothing about it. Instead, he gently lifts the shirt off of Bokuto’s face and examines his nose. It stopped bleeding, leaving behind several dried red splotches.

“I should probably change shirts and get cleaned up,” Bokuto says, smiling. He must’ve intended for it to be charming, but it is quite honestly terrifying, as blood had made its way onto his teeth and mouth. Akaashi thinks that Bokuto looks like a killer from a manga with that look. Akaashi decided that he wouldn’t say anything and let Bokuto find out for himself when he goes to the bathroom to clean up.

However, Akaashi isn’t given the chance to leave the room before Bokuto pulls his shirt off, placing it in the hamper. The raven haired man forgets how to breathe. He knew Bokuto was muscular and fit, but seeing it up close and personal was almost too much for the shorter skater’s heart. His back muscles are on full display, flexing as Bokuto reaches for another shirt that was previously discarded on the floor.

“Um-I’ll...I’ll be in the um...the kitchen! I’ll be in the kitchen!” Akaashi blurts out, turning on his heel and all but running out of Bokuto’s room. He doesn’t stop his hurried escape until he reaches his desired destination. Bokuto’s grandmother is setting the table, looking up at Akaashi with a kind smile.

“Hello, honey. Are you okay? You look a little red,” She asks, walking over and putting a hand on his forehead. Akaashi stiffly nods, not wanting to admit that she was thirsting for her grandson under her roof. So, he says nothing about the matter.

“I’m alright. Do you need any help, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi asks, trying to change the topic of conversation. Bokuto’s grandmother allows it, pointing towards where the plates are sitting on the counter. Akaashi nods, moving to set them on the table.

“Dear, please call me Baba. It’s what Koutarou calls me and I feel as if I already know you well enough from what he has told me,” Bokuto’s grandmother - Baba - tells Keiji with a firm voice. Normally, Akaashi would be very against calling someone something other than the most polite title, but Baba seems to mean business and Akaashi doesn’t want to test her.

“Of course, Baba-san. You may call me Keiji.” Akaashi smiles after he has finished setting the table. He didn’t miss the first or second time that she mentioned that Bokuto had told her about him and he didn’t miss the accompanying flutter of his heart. It felt nice.

“So, Keiji. Tell me about yourself. Koutarou tells me that you’re a figure skater?” Baba asks, setting out the food on the table. Akaashi’s mouth watered at the smell, wishing that Bokuto would hurry up and get out here so that they could eat. 

“Yes, I am. I have been skating since I was a kid. My mother owns the ski resort and I couldn’t quite escape the ice,” Akaashi replies, standing behind a chair and holding onto it. He was still exhausted from the day, but thought it impolite to not wait for Bokuto, since this was his house, after all.

“Maybe one day you can invite your mother over here! If she is even half as pleasant as you, we’ll get along just fine,” She says with a wink. “Do you have any siblings?”

“I do. I have a little sister named Suki,” Akaashi answers, smiling lightly at the thought of his sister.

Before the conversation can continue, Bokuto walks into the room, looking a lot better now that the blood is cleared from his face and he is wearing a new shirt. He walks over to his grandmother, kissing her forehead. Once he is at the table, they all sit down and pray.

Akaashi has family meals, but they are impersonal. He loves his mother, but she is always on the phone or answering emails regarding the ski resort. So, Akaashi has to handle his little sister and he is never given the chance to relax and enjoy the atmosphere. Here, he can. He fits in and feels welcomed, without the burdens of life.

They eat dinner, both boys taking several servings to sate their hunger. Baba finishes before both of them, excusing herself to the living room so she can watch her program on the television. Akaashi watches her go, before turning to Bokuto. Like Akaashi, he looks tired and his eyes are drooping. 

So, Akaashi takes it upon himself to clean up. He takes the dishes and quickly washes them before either Bokuto can scold him for doing so, then puts the leftovers in the fridge. By the time that Akaashi is finished cleaning up, Bokuto has risen to his feet and is yawning.

“Tired?” Akaashi inquires, as if he doesn’t already know the answer. Bokuto nods his head, his hair beginning to droop, as if it is controlled by Bokuto’s present emotion.  _ Cute _ , Akaashi thinks. 

“Baba, Akaashi is going to stay the night,” Bokuto calls out, earning a harsh scolding and shushing. Apparently, Baba is very serious about her television program and doesn’t like to be interrupted at any cost. Perhaps it's the fatigue setting in, but Akaashi wonders what would happen if the house set aflame. Would Baba continue to watch the show, surrounded by fire? Would she scold the fire so intensely that it is snuffed out. Akaashi laughs to himself, causing Bokuto to tilt his head to the side. Akaashi shakes his head, beginning the short walk to the taller man’s bedroom. 

Once they both manage to amble in, Akaashi crashes onto the bed, falling face first into the comforter. When Bokuto doesn’t join him, he turns over to search for the man with his eyes. Bokuto isn’t meeting his gaze, looking anywhere else but Akaashi’s face.

“Koutarou? What is it?” Akaashi asks, his voice gentle. Bokuto begins to fiddle with his fingers.

“Um...well, you can sleep on the bed tonight. I’ll pull out a futon and sleep on the floor,” Bokuto says, nervously scratching the back of his neck. Akaashi has noticed that he does that a lot when he is nervous.

“Koutarou, we can both sleep on the bed.” Now, it is Akaashi’s turn to blush and look away. Without wasting a second, Bokuto has flung himself on the bed, letting out a sigh.

“Really?” He asks, his voice muffled as he is laying face first in the bed.

“Really,” Akaashi replies, crawling further up the bed, so that he can lay properly. He gets under the covers, Bokuto not far behind him. The bed was not big by any means; if Akaashi had to guess, he would likely say that it is a twin XL. It was definitely not meant for two grown men to be laying on it together. 

However, they situate themselves quickly. Akaashi lays so that he is facing the wall, with Bokuto pressed against his back, an arm slung over the raven haired man’s waist. In short, they are spooning. Akaashi hopes that Bokuto can’t feel his heart, because he would likely think that Akaashi is having a heart attack or some sort of heart problem. In truth, he probably was.

The last time Akaashi had been this close to someone was when Suki had nightmares and would crawl in bed with Keiji when their mother wasn’t home. 

“Is this okay?” Bokuto asks, his hand light on Akaashi’s stomach.

“Yeah,” Akaashi replies, breathlessly. He could feel Bokuto’s muscles when he inevitably shifted, he could feel Bokuto’s heart beating just as fast as his own, he could feel their shared warmth mingling.

Akaashi went to sleep smiling.

He dreamt of flying, but this time he wasn’t alone. Bokuto was with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have never written anything relative to smut before (even kissing), despite having committed the sin of kissing before. so, heads up, likely going to flounder when it comes to that.
> 
> let me know how you like the chapter!! leave some comments and kudos!


	6. firsts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys! sorry this took a little longer than usual, i got my wisdom teeth out on monday and i've been out of commission for a bit. but, i really like this chapter and i hope you will, too :-)

Akaashi woke up to the sound of soft snoring and the warmth of a gentle embrace. It took him a moment to recall the events of the previous day: the competition, Oikawa’s subsequent injury, the hospital visit, and ultimately, spending the night at Bokuto’s house in Bokuto’s bed. 

He decided that there wasn’t anything pressing happening today, so it wouldn’t kill him if he rested for a little while longer. If Akaashi were to be honest, he would have decided to rest here longer even if the world was ending. However, his phone had other plans. Akaashi’s phone began to buzz and vibrate, causing Bokuto to stir next to him. Akaashi sighed, slowly turning over and reaching over Bokuto to grab his phone. It took him a few tries to maneuver himself into a position that not only didn’t disturb Bokuto, but also gave him enough flexibility to reach for his phone on the nightstand.

“Hello?” Akaashi mumbles, answering the phone. Bokuto grumbles, pulling the raven haired man flush against his chest and burying his head in Akaashi’s neck. 

“Keiji? You didn’t come home last night, where are you?” Akaashi’s mother’s voice came through the phone louder than it needed to. Bokuto’s eyes fluttered open against Akaashi’s neck, causing him to shiver.

“Sorry, mom. I fell asleep at Bokuto-san’s house last night and I forgot to text you,” Akaashi replied, keeping his voice low so as not to disturb Bokuto anymore than he already had. 

“It’s okay, dear. Just let me know next time!” Hana said. “Suki, no! Quit that! Bye, Keiji dear! SUKI!”

The call ends and Akaashi sighs, mostly at the fact that he was an adult and his mother still wanted to know where he was. Bokuto laughed against his neck and Akaashi wished he could memorize that feeling.

“I apologize for waking you up,” Akaashi tells him, placing his phone down on the nightstand once more. Bokuto hums, pulling away from him slowly. 

Their eyes meet and Akaashi holds his breath. Since the kiss they nearly shared on Halloween, Akaashi has dreamt of kissing Bokuto. He often found himself wondering what his lips felt like; if he’d be gentle or rough, soft or chapped. He often found himself wondering if Bokuto thought of the same thing.

They inched closer and closer, only breaking eye contact to glance down at each other’s lips. The air was thick with tension, with want, with anticipation. It was hanging on the walls, the bed, the door. It filled every crevice of the room, the spaces between Akaashi and Bokuto. 

Akaashi could feel Bokuto’s breath on his face.

_ A few more centimeters _ , Akaashi mused, closing his eyes. However, he wasn’t met with Bokuto’s lips. Instead, he was met with the unbelievably loud sound of  _ I’m Not Gay _ by J Pee coming from his phone. 

Akaashi and Bokuto jump away from each other, causing Bokuto to fall off of the bed and hit the floor with a loud grunt. Akaashi blinks, then scrambles for the phone. He answers it.

“What?” Akaashi’s voice is filled with anger and impatience from the interruption.

“Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Kei-chan?” Oikawa chuckles, sounding chipper. Akaashi’s face goes red at the fact that he woke up in Bokuto’s bed, despite knowing that the man on the other end of the phone is none the wiser. If Oikawa saw him now, he wouldn’t be able to live it down.

“Oikawa-san, how are you doing?” Akaashi asks, trying to get to the point. Bokuto sat up on the ground, looking up at the raven haired man with a confused look. Akaashi shrugs.

“I am doing quite well, actually!” Oikawa exclaims, causing Akaashi to pull the phone slightly away from his ear, the noise too loud for this early in the morning. “After you and Bo-chan dropped us off, Kou-chan and I…”

“Yes?” Akaashi asks, impatiently. 

“So eager, Aka-chan!” Oikawa jokes.

“If you do not tell me in the next five seconds, I will hang up,” Akaashi replies, fully sitting up. Bokuto remains on the floor, listening intently.

“We  _ kissed _ ! I’d like to take all of the credit, but Kou-chan definitely was involved in initiating it,” Oikawa tells him. 

“Finally,” Akaashi says, fiddling with the strings on the sweatshirt that Bokuto let him borrow. “Is that all?”

“ _ Is that all _ ?” Oikawa whines loudly. “I don’t see you kissing Bo-”

“Bye!” Akaashi yells, hanging up. 

His face is red, so incredibly red.  _ Stupid, stupid, stupid _ , he chides himself, remembering the situation that he was just in. He can’t bring himself to look at Bokuto, who is still seated on the floor. If Akaashi could disappear, he would do so without a second thought in this instant to save himself from the embarrassment of what was surely about to come. He wasn’t sure if he could ever show his face around the hockey team again. He might have to fake his death and leave the city. The  _ country _ . Oh god-

Bokuto’s lips are on Akaashi’s before he can finish that thought. The only thing in his head now is Bokuto,  _ Bokuto _ ,  **_Bokuto_ ** . His lips, his skin, his scent, his touch. 

Akaashi has just skimmed the surface, and yet he feels like he is drowning.

Akaashi wrestles with the blankets, getting out of the contraption in order to be pulled closer by the hockey player. Akaashi is suddenly on Bokuto’s lap and the kiss deepens. Akaashi’s hands find their way into soft white and black hair as Bokuto’s grip his waist. 

Their lips move in sync and Akaashi wishes that technology could evolve faster so that he could fully capture this moment in all of its glory. 

Akaashi’s hands abandon Bokuto’s hair, instead falling downwards to tug at the latter’s shirt. Their lips part, but Akaashi instinctively chases after the touch.

“Hey, hey. Keiji,” Bokuto mumbles, his eyes lidded and his voice rough.

“Mm?” Akaashi hums, his eyes flickering from Bokuto’s lips to his eyes and back. 

“Let me take you out on a date first,” Bokuto says. Akaashi is suddenly all too aware of the present situation and the present situation in his pants. His face is red in second, but neither of them say anything about it. Akaashi guesses that embarrassment is his new normal look.

“R-Right,” Akaashi barely gets out. He scrambles off of Bokuto’s lap and to his feet, thankful that the sweatpants are a size too big. God bless Bokuto’s thighs.

“Are you okay?” Bokuto asks, standing up after him. Akaashi nods vigorously, putting a smile on his face to reassure the man.

“Yes, I am. May I use your bathroom?” Akaashi asks, desperately wanting to escape the situation. Bokuto nods, pointing to where it was. The curly haired man grabs his phone before making a bee-line for the door. 

Once he is safely in the bathroom and the door is securely shut behind him, Akaashi looks at himself in the mirror and wants to pass away. However, since that is not an option, he grabs his phone and dials Kenma’s number.

It rings once, twice before Kenma answers.

“Hello?” Kenma asks, exhaustion evident in his voice.

“I kissed him,” Akaashi whispers, moving away from the door and sitting on the toilet seat.

“Huh?” Kenma sounds confused.

“I kissed Bokuto-san,” Akaashi clarifies in hushed voices.

“You kissed Bokuto,” Kenma repeats. Akaashi groans in annoyance. 

If this were a normal morning, Akaashi would be his normal self. He would have his tea and breakfast and he would have the ability to tolerate nearly anything life threw his way, including his insolent friends. However, this was not a normal morning and Akaashi was not his normal self.

“Who kissed Bokuto?” Someone asks. Akaashi stills. Of course, Kenma wasn’t alone. Why didn’t he think of that? And if that was who Akaashi thinks it was, then Bokuto would know that Akaashi was talking about him.

“Bye Kenma!” Akaashi hits the end call button several times for good measure before closing his eyes and leaning his head back against the wall with a little too much force.

“Keiji? Are you okay in there?” Bokuto’s muffled voice brings Akaashi back to reality and oddly enough, back to his senses.

“Yes, Koutarou,” Akaashi replies, standing up and ruffling his hair before opening the door and exiting the bathroom. Bokuto, who is standing too close to the door, smiles widely.

“So…” Akaashi starts, swallowing his nerves. “About that date.”

-

Yamaguchi Tadashi believes in fate. When he was a child, he nearly drowned at the beach. He doesn’t remember much about that day other than seeing white and throwing up saltwater, but he remembers that his life could’ve been taken from him and for some inexplicable reason, it wasn’t. He wasn’t a saint and didn’t do particularly well in school. He was just another person at the beach that day.

So, when Yamaguchi saw how Hinata and Kageyama looked at each other, he decided that it was high time that he repaid the gods in what little way he could: usher along their shared fate. 

He originally concocted a plan to throw a party (or get the Miya twins to throw one, more accurately) the night of the skating competition, but seeing that Oikawa was injured, the plan was in shambles. Despite having an entire night to think about it, he had come up with no backup plan. So, he decided to get help from the smartest person he knew (besides Akaashi): Tsukishima.

Yamaguchi balanced the drinks in his hands as he knocked on Tsukishima’s door, silently praying that he would be awake and let him in quickly. Luckily, the gods were listening this morning as Tsukishima opened the door a few seconds after the shorter man knocked.

“Tsukki! I brought you coffee!” Yamaguchi exclaims, handing it to him before rushing into the apartment uninvited. But, the blond didn’t stop him, so he didn’t feel  _ that _ bad.

“Why are you here so early?” Tsukishima asks, quietly closing the door behind him. But, Yamaguchi was not listening.

He had never been to Tsukishima’s apartment before, only getting the address the night prior before Yamaguchi went home after the skating competition. Yamaguchi was unsure what he was expecting, but the living room decorated in dinosaur paraphernalia was not it. But, he decides against bringing that up, so he settles on the next most unnerving discovery.

“You have a roommate?” Yamaguchi hisses, turning to face the man. Tsukishima shrugs, raising an eyebrow. Only then did Yamaguchi notice that the blond was still in pajamas and looked like he had just gotten out of bed.

“Yes. It’s Kageyama,” Tsukishima explains, taking a sip of the coffee that Yamaguchi had gotten him. While the brunette was unsure what kind of coffee he drank, he had (correctly) assumed that he would like something simple. It was confirmed when Tsukishima gave a nod of enjoyment.

“Kageyama?!” Yamaguchi exclaims, nearly dropping his coffee in alarm. Tsukishima was also taken aback, his eyes widening slightly at the outburst. He expected such from Kageyama and Hinata, but not from Yamaguchi. Especially over the topic of his roommate.

“Yes, Kageyama. Want to yell any louder and wake him up?” Tsukishima asks, sarcastically. Yamaguchi silences himself immediately, shaking his head no.

“Sorry, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi says, then scans the apartment for Tsukishima’s room. As if on cue, the blond leads the brunette to his room, motioning to show him which one is Kageyama’s room. 

Once they’re safely inside of Tsukishima’s room, Yamaguchi collapses onto the bed and begins to speak.

“The plan is in shambles and I don’t know what to do! I was going to set them up last night after convincing the Miya twins to throw a party! Do you know how long it took me to get the courage to approach Atsumu? It took a whole week! Wait, of course you know that. You were there,” Yamaguchi drones on, staring at the ceiling. He barely registers the bed dipping beside him as Tsukishima lays down after putting the coffee cup on the nightstand.

“Right,” Tsukishima says, oh so poetically.

“I’m open to suggestions here,” Yamaguchi tells him, rolling his eyes. Tsukishima hums as the brunette looks over. Tsukishima’s eyes are closed and he seems to be in thought. Yamaguchi decides then that he could look at him for hours and not get bored. He really is beautiful.

“Well, why don’t you just tell them?” Tsukishima suggests.

Perhaps if it was later in the day or if Yamaguchi had drank more than a few sips of the coffee he got, he would’ve picked up on the fact that Tsukishima was joking. But, he was none the wiser as he jumped to his feet, resolute in trying that. He would try anything at this point.

Before Tsukishima can stop him, Yamaguchi is out of the room and down the hall. Deciding that there’s nothing he can do to stop the shorter skater, Tsukishima follows. At the very least, he’ll get some entertainment out of the situation.

Yamaguchi doesn’t knock on Kageyama’s door as he charges in, yelling, “Wake up, sleepy head!”

Tsukishima flicks on the lights, doing his part. Yamaguchi gives him a thumbs up.

Kageyama jolts upright, surprised by the sudden noise and light. He looks over, confused as to why they’re both in his room. A few seconds later, familiar orange hair pops up beside Kageyama, looking equally as confused and tired.

Yamaguchi’s eyes go wide and he shares a look with Tsukishima. Unsurprisingly, Tsukishima looks rather smug, as if he knew that they were in there together. As if he knew…

“YOU KNEW!” Yamaguchi yells, pointing an accusing finger at the blond. Tsukishima puts his hands up, smirking, but saying nothing to defend himself.

“Yamaguchi?” Hinata asks, his voice stifled with a yawn. Kageyama collapses back onto the bed, closing his eyes.

“You knew, you...you...you banana!” Yamaguchi throws himself at Tsukishima, throwing punches with no heart behind them. They both knew that even if Yamaguchi were to actually try to punch him, it wouldn’t hurt  _ that _ badly.

“Tsukishima?” Hinata asks.

“I might’ve,” Tsukishima confirms Yamaguchi’s suspicions, causing the attacks to increase in frequency. The blond decides that he deserves it for allowing Yamaguchi to scheme for weeks, so he lets the barrage continue. 

“What’s going on?” Hinata asks.

Tsukishima turns the light back off, leading Yamaguchi out of the room silently.

“We’re going to talk about this later!” Yamaguchi yells back to Hinata and Kageyama before defeatedly giving up hitting Tsukishima and following the blond back into his room.

This time, Tsukishima lays on the bed first, leaving a Yamaguchi-sized spot next to him. However, the brunette is in no mood to give in so easily.

“You tricked me!” Yamaguchi accuses him, crossing his arms and pouting. Tsukishima looks over, raising an eyebrow.

“I did nothing to mislead you. Are you going to lay down?” Tsukishima asks, motioning to the spot next to him. Yamaguchi can’t resist the blond, so he wordlessly joins him on the bed before continuing to complain. He lays on his side, propping his head up with his arm.

“You knew Kageyama and Hinata were together this whole time! I was plotting an epic way for them to get together, but they already were. I could’ve been using that time to get someone else together. The gods must be upset with me now, I was wasting their precious time trying to make something happen, but it was already a thing!” Yamaguchi rambles, fiddling with the blankets on the bed with his free hand. Tsukishima looks over, his glasses slightly askew on his pale face. The sun is coming in at the perfect angle to light up his skin. Yamaguchi briefly thinks that he looks handsome like that before remembering that he’s supposed to be upset, mad, a billion other emotions at him instead of attracted to Tsukishima at the present moment. He would have time to fantasize later.

“I guess it was just fate, then,” Tsukishima tells him cheekily.

“I guess so. I mean, couldn’t have the gods just told me that it was already happening? Or maybe it hasn’t! Maybe they haven’t realized it yet and they were just sleeping in the same bed together!” Yamaguchi’s eyes go wide at the realization and he prepares himself to get out of the bed.

“You know, you talk too much,” Tsukishima says, grabbing Yamaguchi’s hand to keep him on the bed. The touch is electric, lighting up Yamaguchi’s body like a Christmas tree. If his brain wasn’t already running on empty, it surely would’ve short circuited by now.

“So put your lips on mine and shut me up.”

The words tumble out of Yamaguchi’s mouth before he can even process the fact that he was thinking them. Both pairs of eyes go wide and they stare at each other for a moment too long. Yamaguchi wishes he could look away and climb out of the window to escape. He would welcome the fire alarm going off or a surprise flood.

But, none of that happens and Yamaguchi is stuck with the consequences of his mouth. 

“Okay,” Tsukishima says before tugging Yamaguchi down and kissing him. It’s soft and simple and only lasts a few seconds. The pressure of Tsukishima’s lips against his are gone quicker than Yamaguchi wants them to be.

“Um…” Yamaguchi blinks, at a loss for words. Tsukishima’s mouth quirks upwards into a real smile, possibly one of the first real ones that Yamaguchi had ever seen grace the hockey player’s face.

“I guess it worked,” Tsukishima muses aloud, then pulls Yamaguchi back down for another kiss. The chaste kiss is forgotten quickly as Tsukishima’s tongue brushes against Yamaguchi’s lips, which opens on command. The blond licks into him, with a sudden urgency that is mimicked by Tsukishima’s hands, pulling Yamaguchi on top of him. 

Yamaguchi allows himself to be manipulated like a ragdoll. He wonders who wouldn’t if Tsukishima was doing the manipulating? The man in question removes his lips from Yamaguchi’s, moving onto his neck. The brunette lets out a whine as Tsukishima rolls them over, so that he is on top.

“Problem?” Tsukishima asks, pulling away from his conquest and smirking. Yamaguchi uses this opportunity to pull him back up into a searing kiss. The figure skater's hands wrap around Tsukishima’s neck, keeping him close. The hockey player props himself up with one hand, using the other to cup Yamaguchi’s cheek. 

Yamaguchi, in a moment of confidence, lowers a hand and slips it under Tsukishima’s shirt. The blond shivers, but doesn’t protest. Yamaguchi can feel him smirk, so he bites a little to keep him humble. Or maybe just because he felt like it. What can Yamaguchi say? He can’t quite help himself around Tsukishima.

“Hey guy-” Hinata walks into the room, then screams. Yamaguchi shoves Tsukishima off of him, who falls onto his ass on the end of the bed. Hinata covers his eyes, running into the door in an blind attempt to escape.

“Hinata!” Yamaguchi exclaims. He can feel the heat that his face is radiating, but he isn’t quite sure if that’s due to the fact that they got caught or what they got caught for. And to be quite honest, Yamaguchi wasn’t sure if he really cared.

“Sorry, sorry!” Hinata yells, turning to walk out, but instead he runs right into Kageyama, who is looking between the three with a confused look.

“What’s going on?” Kageyama asks, removing Hinata’s hand from his eyes.

“They were having SEX!” Hinata yells. 

The room is silent for one, two moments before breaking into absolute mayhem.

“They were having WHAT?” Kageyama yells.

“I’m sorry!” Hinata shouts.

“No! We weren’t!” Yamaguchi protests.

“I didn’t mean to interrupt!” Hinata exclaims.

“Do you even know what sex is?” Tsukishima jeers.

“I’m sorry!” Hinata cries out again.

“You two were sleeping together!” Yamaguchi accuses.

The room falls silent again, everyone looking at each other with wide eyes, with the exception of Tsukishima who looks quite bored. The awkward tension is palpable.

“Kageyama and I are dating,” Hinata proudly proclaims, putting his hands on his hips resolutely. Kageyama’s face reddens, but he nods in assurance.

“Okay?” Tsukishima says at the same time that Yamaguchi speaks up.

“Well, Tsukki and I are, too!” Yamaguchi declares, then looks to Tsukishima for affirmation. He raises an eyebrow, then nods in agreement. 

The tension fades away and is quickly replaced with laughter at the situation. After a few minutes of mindless laughter, Hinata speaks up.

“So, you two  _ weren’t _ having sex?” Hinata asks innocently. Tsukishima facepalms.

“Fate, huh?” Tsukishima asks Yamaguchi, a teasing lilt in his tone.

“Fate,” Yamaguchi confirms with a smile.

-

Bokuto had driven Akaashi home with the promise of picking him up at 5 PM for a date. It was now 4:30 PM and Akaashi had no idea what to wear. Deciding that it was hopeless to work by himself, he gathered his phone and left his room. Akaashi made his way down the hallway before finding the door he was searching for. He knocked twice before waiting.

Akaashi didn’t have to wait long before Sakusa answered the door, dressed in sweatpants and a plain t-shirt. Even though he was dressed in casual wear, Sakusa looked good. 

“Hello, Akaashi. Is there something you need?” Sakusa asks.

“Yes. I was wondering if you would help me pick out an outfit for my... _ date _ with Bokuto-san in thirty minutes,” Akaashi says, pink tinting his face. Sakusa raises an eyebrow then wordlessly steps out of his room.

“Alright,” Sakusa confirms, motioning for Akaashi to lead the way to his room. 

Akaashi always considered Sakusa a good friend, even if they didn’t hang out much outside of skating. Sakusa didn’t really hang out with many people other than the events that the group deemed mandatory. He was largely uncomfortable with crowds and public places, and would even rarely feel comfortable in his friend's places due to germs. The mere fact that Sakusa was willing to come into Akaashi’s room to help him pick out an outfit was proof enough that Sakusa valued their friendship just as much as Akaashi did.

Once they get to Akaashi’s room, Sakusa is pointing out possible outfit variations in the closet. He doesn’t touch any of them, but Akaashi knows what he is talking about.

After trying on various combinations of clothing that Sakusa deemed date worthy, Akaashi settles with a pair of black plaid pants and a grey mock neck shirt. He finishes the outfit with a light brown coat. Sakusa nods, happy with the selection.

“Thank you, Sakusa-san,” Akaashi says, checking his phone for the time. 5:01 PM.  _ Shit _ .

A knock on the door brings their attention away from the time and towards the door. Akaashi gathers his stuff before opening it. On the other side is Bokuto, dressed nicely and holding a bouquet of lilies. Sakusa takes this opportunity to slip out of the door, bidding both of them farewell with a grunt and a nod.

“I brought these for you,” Bokuto says once they’re alone, holding the lilies out for Akaashi. 

“Thank you, Koutarou.” Akaashi gently takes them, inviting Bokuto into the room while he finds a vase to put the flowers in.

“You look nice,” Bokuto tells him, awkwardly hovering by the door. Akaashi smiles gently, placing the vase full of flowers on the table before heading towards the hockey player. He gets on his toes and places a kiss on Bokuto’s cheek.

“You look nice, too. Are you ready to go?” Akaashi asks, sliding a hand into Bokuto’s. His hands felt nice; they were calloused, but they fit with Akaashi’s perfectly.

“Always!” Bokuto exclaims, but stops before they leave the room. “I almost forgot! Grab your skates.”

Akaashi gives him a questioning look, but doesn’t say anything as he retreats further into the room and grabs his skating bag. Once he has returned, Bokuto grabs his hand again and they’re off.

The elevator is packed, per usual. But, Akaashi decides that he doesn’t mind if it allows him to stand closer to Bokuto.

Before Akaashi knows it, they’re in Bokuto’s car and on their way to dinner.

“Will you tell me the plan for the night?” Akaashi asks, turning on the radio to a soft pop station.

“It’s a surprise!” Bokuto announces, then glances over at his companion. “Unless you don’t like surprises. Kuroo told me to make sure that if I do a surprise, you are okay with them. One time he was taking Kenma out on a date and told him it was a surprise, but Kenma had a panic attack because he thought they were going to an amusement park and Kenma doesn’t like amusement parks because they’re so crowded and-”

“It’s okay, Koutarou. I enjoy surprises,” Akaashi assures him, placing a hand on the back of Bokuto’s neck and running his fingers through the black and white hair. It shut Bokuto up quickly, so Akaashi decides that he’ll tuck that knowledge away for later if he ever needs it. Bokuto has a goofy smile on his face, so Akaashi decides that it's a win-win situation.

The car ride is spent in relative, comfortable silence. Akaashi has always enjoyed car rides, especially those after it has just finished snowing. And Akaashi has been on this drive too often to not know that they were headed away from the ski resort and towards the next town over. But, he decided to not say anything in order to sate Bokuto’s want for a surprise.

Once they arrive in the town, Bokuto pulls the car into a parking spot and shuts the engine off. Before Akaashi can even think of getting out of the car, Bokuto has leaped out and all but sprinted over to open the door for Akaashi, extending his other hand to help him out of the car.

For a brief moment, Akaashi entertains the idea that Bokuto is his Prince Charming, helping him out of a carriage. However, no amount of wishing will turn this into a fairy tale, so Akaashi settles on a perfect, realistic view of the night, instead.

“Thank you,” Akaashi pecks his cheek again once he’s on the sidewalk and Bokuto has shut the door. Bokuto grins widely and Akaashi thinks that he could classically condition Bokuto into doing gentlemanly things for him with the reward of a kiss if he wanted. 

“Right this way!” Bokuto declares, dragging Akaashi down the street. While the town wasn’t huge, it was still busy. People were populating the street, walking and loitering alike. The sun had begun to go down in the sky, occasionally catching Akaashi in the eye. He chided himself for people watching instead of focusing on Bokuto.

“I must admit, I am curious to see what you have prepared for this evening,” Akaashi tells Bokuto, gently squeezing his hand as they walk down the street at a faster than average pace. But, Akaashi didn’t mind. He didn’t mind anything, as long as he was with Bokuto.

After a short walk, they arrive at a food truck in a parking lot with various tables and chairs set up. Bokuto dragged them into the line and pointed out the menu for Akaashi.

“What are you getting?” Akaashi asks, looking over the menu. It seemed to be Mexican cuisine, from what Akaashi can tell. He always enjoyed street tacos, especially when they were from a food truck. There was just something about street food that made it taste better.

“I’m getting a beef burrito,” Bokuto tells Akaashi, squinting at the menu. “Should we get a side of guacamole? What do you think?”

“I think guacamole sounds nice,” Akaashi answers, continuing to look over the menu.

“What are you getting?” Bokuto asks, shoving his other hand in his pocket. 

“I think I will get three carne asada tacos,” Akaashi says.

Before they know it, they’re at the front of the line and Bokuto is ordering for them. Akaashi reaches for his wallet, but Bokuto gives him a scolding look before paying.

They get their food and settle in at a table at the edge of the parking lot, overlooking a park. Bokuto is scarfing down the burrito, only stopping to scoop guacamole into his mouth. If Akaashi were anyone else, perhaps he would’ve been put off by the intense eating exhibited in front of him. But, he wasn’t anyone else and Akaashi was certain that Bokuto could do no wrong.

And it would be the pot calling the kettle black as Akaashi all but inhaled the tacos as soon as they sat down.

But, who's there to judge?

“So, Keiji,” Bokuto starts, taking a sip out of his water. “What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue, like the ocean. What is yours?” Akaashi asks, leaning against the table. He grabs another chip and takes a generous amount of guacamole before shoveling it in his mouth.

“Golden! Like my eyes!” Bokuto opens his eyes wide and leaning closer in order to give the figure skater a more clear view of said eyeballs. Akaashi smiles, nodding in approval.

“They are a nice color. Perhaps even rivaling blue,” Akaashi confirms, reaching forward to wipe some guacamole off of Bokuto’s cheek. The hockey player smiles sheepishly.

“When’s your birthday?” Bokuto asks.

“December 5th. When is yours?” Akaashi asks. But, Bokuto isn’t listening to the question, his jaw dropping.

“That’s next week! Keiji, that’s next week!” Bokuto begins to vibrate in his chair, but Akaashi can’t tell if it's from surprise or excitement. Maybe a bit of both.

“Yes, it is next week,” Akaashi confirms, raising an eyebrow.

“You didn’t say anything before! We have to throw a sick party and invite everyone. Does Oikawa know? He seems like he’d throw good parties! But, oh! He’s hurt! How could I forget about that?” Bokuto rambles on, gesturing wildly with each sentence. Akaashi watches it all, amused by the sheer force that Bokuto uses when he speaks.

  
“I don’t need a party, Koutarou,” Akaashi places a hand over one of Bokuto’s. “There’s no need to worry.”

“No one  _ needs _ a party, but you deserve one!” Bokuto declares, his face very serious. Akaashi can’t help but laugh.

“Alright, alright. Do your worst,” Akaashi tells him. Bokuto’s face breaks out into a large smile, rivaling the sun. Despite the cold weather and the breeze, Akaashi feels warm.

-

As the sun disappears over the horizon, Bokuto drags Akaashi to their next destination. This time, Akaashi has no idea where they are going and is telling himself to be okay with it. He liked to be in control and relinquishing it, even for a little bit, was more difficult than he initially thought.

But, he is not in the dark for long. They pull up to park and Bokuto jumps out of the car to let Akaashi out again. 

“What are we doing here, Koutarou?” Akaashi asks, accepting the hand in getting out.

“You’ll see!” Bokuto replies, giving Akaashi’s hand a gentle kiss. “Grab your skating bag and follow me.”

Akaashi does just as he is told, now noticing that Bokuto is also holding his skating bag, presumably with his skates in them. They slot their hands together and take off walking further into the park.

Over the past months, Bokuto has become a fixture in Akaashi’s life. He’s there constantly, whether in person or texting. He fills Akaashi’s thoughts in the day and dreams in the night. He couldn’t escape Bokuto if he wanted to (he doesn’t want to). Akaashi had never been in a serious relationship before, instead focusing on school and skating and his little sister. He never  _ wanted _ to be in a serious relationship before. But now he sees the appeal. Akaashi can picture a life with Bokuto, now and fifty years down the line. He wants that life.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrive at a frozen lake and Bokuto plops down on a bench. He begins to take his shoes off, replacing them with his ice skates immediately. When the hockey player realizes that Akaashi isn’t following suit, he pats the seat beside him. Akaashi sits down, then begins to take off his own shoes.

“Skating?” Akaashi wonders aloud, slipping his ice skates on and beginning to lace them up.

“I mean, it’s how we met,” Bokuto admits, his face red. “Fitting that it’s our first date, too, right?”

“You’re very thoughtful, Koutarou,” Akaashi confirms, kissing his cheek.

Soon, they both have their skates on and are on the ice. Akaashi rarely has had the opportunity to skate outdoors, instead focusing his time on indoor rinks. It wasn’t that different, but the wind was surely something he had to get used to.

Bokuto skates towards the center of the ice, excitedly. It’s a wonder how he isn’t affected by the elements.

“Keiji, come on!” Bokuto yells, wildly motioning for him to follow with his arm. Akaashi gracefully follows, pocketing his hands in order to keep them warm. Everything was perfect except for the fact that Akaashi had not brought gloves, and his hands were therefore absolutely freezing. Perhaps Bokuto had a pair he could borrow.

Bokuto halts once he is at the center of the ice, holding out his arms for Akaashi. The figure skater doesn’t waste a moment, skating into his grasp and smiling up at the burly hockey player. Bokuto’s kind smile turns into a wicked one as he releases Akaashi and begins to speed across the ice.

“Race you!” Bokuto yells, already gaining speed and distance across the ice. Now, Akaashi didn’t consider himself to be the most competitive person in the world, but he also wasn’t going to let himself lose to Bokuto tonight. His pride wouldn’t let him.

So, Akaashi took off across the ice as fast as he could, quickly catching up to Bokuto. In truth, it wasn’t that hard. Bokuto’s strength came from his power, while Akaashi’s came from his speed. They were nearing the edge of the ice as Akaashi passed Bokuto, causing the hockey player to yell out.

“No!” Bokuto yells, reaching out and grabbing Akaashi’s waist. The figure skater can feel his legs slip out from under him and he quickly says a prayer, hoping that he won’t hit his head. But, as he falls, Bokuto falls with him and the taller man shields the smaller from the ice, using his body as a cushion for the fall.

They both lay on the ice, Akaashi wrapped up in Bokuto’s arms for a second, a minute, an hour. He isn’t really sure, but the laughter and the cold mix together and seer this night into his memory.

Akaashi decides that he really wouldn’t mind if Bokuto stuck around for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how did you like the chapter?? is there anything that you're looking for in this fanfic that you haven't seen yet? let me know in the comments!
> 
> thank you for reading!


	7. birthday pt1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi clutched the gun close to his chest, trying to regulate his breathing. He was tired from running and, coupled with his fear and anxiety, his breathing was so loud that he was worried it gave away his position to any nearby enemy. The air is thick with anticipation and dread and Akaashi finally gets his breathing under control. His hands are shaking as he peaks around a corner, searching for any tufts of hair peeking out from the surrounding barriers. Upon not finding any, Akaashi slips back behind his barrier, turning around to face a gun against his chest, held by the same white and black haired man that got him into this mess into the first place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!! sorry it's been so long since i've updated. i've been trying to figure out what i'm going to be doing for university in the fall. it's been very stressful and hard lmao. anyways!!! i hope you enjoy the chapter and also go check out my other story (it's sakuatsu)!

Akaashi clutched the gun close to his chest, trying to regulate his breathing. He was tired from running and, coupled with his fear and anxiety, his breathing was so loud that he was worried it gave away his position to any nearby enemy. The air is thick with anticipation and dread and Akaashi finally gets his breathing under control. His hands are shaking as he peaks around a corner, searching for any tufts of hair peeking out from the surrounding barriers. Upon not finding any, Akaashi slips back behind his barrier, turning around to face a gun against his chest, held by the same white and black haired man that got him into this mess into the first place.

  
  
  


_ Earlier... _

Akaashi stared at the letter in his hands as he sat alone in the locker room. His friends arrived earlier than he had and were already on the ice; Akaashi was thankful for the momentary peace that he had. Akaashi had received the letter once he returned home the previous night and was surprised because, in all honesty, he had forgotten that he had applied for college. He loved ice skating and was looking forward to potentially skating in college, but he never wanted to be an Olympian like his friends did. The attention, the fame was never alluring. Akaashi loved figure skating, but his real passion was writing. 

So, Akaashi applied for several universities across Japan and even some internationally. He received a response from a university in the form of a letter, but he hadn’t opened it yet. Perhaps it was because Akaashi didn’t want to entertain the thought of separating from his friends and Bokuto, but he knew that they would call him silly and urge him to pursue his dream. 

Akaashi sighs, flipping the envelope over and beginning to pick at the flap. Before he can commit to it, the door to the locker room slams open and Akaashi tenses up.

“Keeeeeiji?” Bokuto’s voice echoes throughout the room and that’s all it takes for Akaashi to loosen up.

“I am over here, Koutarou,” Akaashi calls out, waiting calmly for the hockey player to find him. It only takes a few seconds for said man to find him and once he spots Akaashi, he barrels towards him like he hasn’t seen the raven haired man in years. Bokuto wraps Akaashi up in a hug, pulling him up from the bench. Akaashi smiles, dropping the letter onto the ground as he too wraps his arms around his rather beefy boyfriend, if he could be called that.

“I missed you!” Bokuto exclaims, peppering Akaashi’s face with kisses. It had been less than a week since their first date, yet Akaashi thought they acted as if they had been dating for years. Not that he minded, of course. Since they were both very busy with their respective sports, they tried to spend time together on the ice as often as possible. 

“I saw you yesterday,” Akaashi says as Bokuto puts him down. The hockey player doesn’t react to that, instead picking up the letter from the floor. Akaashi pales.

“What’s this?” Bokuto asks, his eyes going wide. “This is from the University of Tokyo!”

“Yes, it is,” Akaashi mumbles, looking away. He was unsure how the owl-like man would react to the fact that Akaashi applied to the university.

“Did you apply?” Bokuto asks. When Akaashi looks up at him, he can see him practically shaking with excitement. 

“I did,” Akaashi admits. “I haven’t opened it yet.”

“Is it because tomorrow’s your birthday?” Bokuto asks, tilting his head to the side. Akaashi pauses, having forgotten all about that due to the building anxiety about college.

“No, I actually forgot about that.” Akaashi scratches the back of his head sheepishly. “I just...I don’t want to think about leaving yet.”

Bokuto nods, placing a comforting arm around Akaashi’s shoulders. He then shoves the letter in his back pocket.

“I have the perfect idea to get your mind off of this and into the birthday spirit!” Bokuto exclaims, dragging Akaashi out of the locker room and towards the ice. Neither of them are wearing skates and the raven haired man silently prays to the gods that Bokuto doesn’t plan on dragging them onto the rink with their shoes on. He doesn’t exactly want to die or get yelled at today.

Once they get to the edge, Bokuto stops and begins to wave his arm around crazily.

“Everyone!” Bokuto yells, gaining the attention of all of their friends in the rink. Luckily, no one was doing any jumps or else Akaashi fears they would’ve fallen. 

“Bokuto-san!” Hinata exclaims, immediately skating over to the edge to greet the hockey player. They briefly embrace.

“Is everything alright, Bokuto-san?” Kageyama asks as he and all of the other skaters in the rink gather by them. Akaashi noted that everyone in his group, minus Oikawa who was sitting on a bench nearby, was on the ice. He was pleasantly surprised to see Kenma skating.

“Today, we are going to go play laser tag!” Bokuto announces. Hinata and Kageyama jump in joy, high fiving each other. Akaashi is silently surprised that they stay on their feet when they hit the ice again. Sakusa and Kenma, on the other hand, groan and attempt to quietly and slowly move away from the group. They are, of course, stopped by Bokuto.

The hockey player ushers everyone into the locker room to change then steps out to call the rest of his team. Akaashi decides to let him alert the rest of their group in peace, sitting with Suga, Oikawa, and Sakusa in the locker room. Oikawa, while bummed out that he can’t play, was easily placated with the promises of Suga buying him milkbread (and kisses, but Akaashi pretends that he didn’t hear that part).

“Why the sudden laser tag?” Suga asks Akaashi as the silver haired man pulls on a hoodie that Akaashi recognizes as Oikawa’s. Akaashi considers telling them the truth, but quickly decides against it. He knows that they’ll be supportive to the point that Akaashi will regret ever uttering the word  _ university _ around them.

“Bokuto wanted to get into the birthday spirit,” Akaashi says instead. His three friends all exchange looks and Akaashi narrows his eyes, suddenly suspicious. He is reminded of Bokuto’s promise to throw him a party, which would surely have spread to all of their mutual friends by now. Suga and Sakusa were very good at keeping secrets, but Oikawa was a blabbermouth. Akaashi would have to corner him if he wanted to get more information on the surely upcoming party. So, for now, he acts uninterested in the secret.

“Suga-san?” Hinata asks, shyly entering their section of the locker room. The silver haired man puts on a kind smile, turning away from Akaashi and towards Hinata.

“Do you need something, Hinata?” Suga asks.

“Could you take me, Kageyama, and Yamaguchi to laser tag?” Hinata asks, the other two boys appearing behind him.

“Of course!” Suga exclaims, garnering a gasp from his boyfriend.

“It’s  _ my _ car and I didn’t say they could come with us!” Oikawa exclaims, clutching his heart, ever so dramatically. Suga gives him a look. “What if I want to make out with you in the car?”

The younger skates all blanche at what Akaashi guesses is the thought of their pure and innocent Suga making out with Oikawa in the car. If only they knew the kinds of things that Oikawa and Suga did, that they unwelcomingly told Akaashi and Sakusa before practice. Suga was anything but pure and innocent.

“Tooru!” Suga jabs the brunette in the side, causing him to yelp.

Akaashi smiles at his friends, his worries temporarily forgotten.

Once the rest of the hockey team has arrived, the group piles into various cars and takes off towards the laser tag arena. Bokuto and Akaashi were alone in the black and white haired man’s car, holding hands as Bokuto drove them; Akaashi, despite himself, never felt unsafe in the car, despite it looking worse for wear. He supposes that’s what trust does to someone.

They arrive quicker than Akaashi would’ve liked to. He likes spending time with Bokuto, especially when they are alone. Akaashi finds that he doesn’t feel the societal pressure to be the put-together facade that he always radiates when he is with his less responsible friends. Bokuto doesn’t mind if they sit in silence or if they talk about stupid subjects; he doesn’t mind how they spend their time, as long as he is with Akaashi. But, they arrive at the laser tag arena and Bokuto is excited enough for the both of them.

Akaashi smiles at the eccentric man, who is dragging him out of the car and inside the arena. They were the last to arrive and as soon as the others in the group saw them, there was a mad dash for the desk where they paid for a round. Even Bokuto leaves Akaashi in the dust to run for the line, shouting something incomprehensible. 

The raven haired man stops, looking over at his friends. Bokuto is ruffling Hinata’s hair as he lets the shorter man go in front of him in line, despite his bravado. Kageyama has a small and admittedly slightly creepy smile on his face as he looks at his partner. Oikawa, Suga, and Kenma are sitting at a table, all drinking various beverages and chatting. Akaashi didn’t think that Kenma would feel comfortable talking to the older skaters, but he didn’t look completely out of place while the couple bickered. Sakusa and Osamu are having a conversation in the line while Atsumu complains, trying to be more involved. Something about  _ Get yer own boyfriend, ‘Samu! _

Akaashi feels at home.

Well, until a strong arm rests upon Akaashi’s shoulders, alerting him to the rooster haired man next to him who is wearing a suspicious smirk. Kuroo was no stranger to Akaashi, but they were far from best friends; they only really hung out when it was a group event or Bokuto was present.

“Hello Kuroo-san,” Akaashi greets him, shifting under the man’s firm grip. Kuroo hums in a greeting and they stand in an awkward silence for longer than Akaashi would’ve liked to, so the shorter man focuses on his friends in the line.

“Bokuto really likes you,” Kuroo eventually speaks, drawing Akaashi’s attention back to the man beside him. Akaashi can feel his face heat up, despite the statement being blatantly obvious to everyone who steps within a hundred feet of Bokuto.

“I really like him, too,” Akaashi admits, his voice quiet and genuine. “I like him so much that I am afraid.”

“Afraid of what?” Kuroo asks, looking down at the raven haired man under his arm curiously. Akaashi doesn’t dare meet his eyes.

“Of hurting him.” Akaashi looks down at his feet, shuffling uncomfortably.

“Well, I was going to give you a talk and threaten you,” Kuroo admits. “But, you’re a good guy, ‘Kaashi. I don’t think you’ll hurt him intentionally.”

Akaashi looks up and meets eyes with Kuroo. 

“Hey, hey, hey!” Bokuto yelling brings their attention to the boisterous man in front of them, holding up two tickets for the round. Kuroo gives Akaashi a pat on the back, retracting his arm. He gives Bokuto a big hug, then goes off to find Kenma before the match starts.

“You didn’t have to pay for me, Koutarou,” Akaashi tells him, taking his ticket for the round. Bokuto’s wide smile is infectious and Akaashi finds himself smiling up at the man in front of him.

“Well, I didn’t  _ have _ to, but this is part of your birthday present!” Bokuto proclaims, grabbing ahold of one of Akaashi’s hands. They walk over to where the group has huddled near the entrance of the arena, just as the operator steps out and tells them they can enter.

Akaashi squeezes Bokuto’s hand in a silent thanks as the operator clears his throat and begins to speak.

“Alright, who here has played laser tag before?” The man asks, looking over the group. Nearly everyone raises their hands, except for Sakusa and Daichi, who Akaashi is surprised even agreed to come in the first place knowing that Suga and Oikawa were going to be there. He was a better man than Akaashi was, he guesses. Akaashi would’ve hid for a year until he could properly face the rejection, but Daichi was taking it just about as well as he could.

The operator goes over the rules and instructions, then allows them to pick vests with team colors. 

“Wait!” Bokuto calls out, stopping their group from picking teams just yet. “I think we should do skaters versus hockey players this round.”

Everyone looks at each other, then nods in agreement. Akaashi raises an eyebrow at Bokuto, who just grins in excitement and runs off to put on a blue vest, the self proclaimed color of the hockey team. Akaashi retreats to where the figure skaters are putting on their red vests and picks up his own. He checks the name on the vest, smiling at his codename: Bird of Prey. 

Once everyone is geared up and ready to go, the operator announces that they have one minute of preparation to get into the arena and set up before the game begins. Neither team wasted anytime moving in, splitting up onto two sides of the arena. The skaters travelled together, taking one of the elevated fortresses, crouching down to quietly strategize with the time they had left.

“Sakusa-san and Yamaguchi should stay here and act as snipers,” Akaashi whispers to the group huddled around him. Without Suga playing, Akaashi stepped into the role of leader quite well. “Hinata and Kageyama are the main ground team. I will stay on the outside, picking off stragglers.”

“Aye, aye!” Hinata and Kageyama quietly proclaim, saluting and heading out. Sakusa and Yamaguchi spread out in the fortress and Akaashi ducks down, creeping away from their position and heading towards the outskirts of the arena.

That brings us to the present situation, where Akaashi has a gun pointed at his chest by none other than Bokuto Koutarou. 

The raven haired man puts his hands up, keeping the gun in his left hand. 

“Hello, Koutarou,” Akaashi greets him, his voice low as to not alert anyone else of their position.

“Keiji, come here often?” Bokuto jokes, dropping his gun and leaning against the barrier in what Akaahsi assumes is supposed to be a seductive manner. Instead, it looks rather uncomfortable, with the bulky vest digging into his side. Akaashi rolls his eyes at that, dropping his arms and his gun, stepping towards his boyfriend. 

“Leaving your team behind so soon?” Akaashi asks as Bokuto hooks a finger under his chin, raising his head so their eyes meet. Bokuto’s eyes are large and intense, a goofy smile still on his perfect face. Akaashi shivers under the sudden attention, stepping even closer into Bokuto’s space. Their vests bump, keeping them at a distance and Akaashi wonders if Bokuto is thinking of taking them off and putting them aside, but that thought leaves his head as soon as Bokuto’s lips crash into his. Akaashi smiles into the kiss as it intensifies, way too hot for the middle of a laser tag arena. Bokuto’s tongue explores Akaashi’s mouth, not leaving a spot undiscovered. But, Akaashi, unlike Bokuto, still has his senses about him. Before Bokuto can react, Akaashi has his gun in his hands and pointed at Bokuto’s chest. He squeezes the trigger, then makes a run for it, hearing Bokuto’s defeated cry from behind him.

Akaashi knows he’s not in the clear yet, but he can’t help but let out a laugh at the situation he escaped from. Bokuto will surely want revenge, coupled with a few hundred kisses to make up for Akaashi betraying him in the middle of a rather good one. 

Once the round ends, Bokuto immediately slinks over to him, pouting and whining about Akaashi shooting him. The shorter man simply smiles and places a small, chaste kiss against the larger man’s lips, temporarily sating him. Not surprisingly, Akaashi was near the bottom of the scoreboard, as he spent the majority of his time hiding from Bokuto. Sakusa, however, was at the top of the leaderboard, surprisingly considering that this was the first match he’s ever played of laser tag. When Atsumu questions him and accuses him of cheating, Sakusa pulls down his mask to send his boyfriend a deadly smirk and challenges him to beat him (Atsumu was the only person who scored worse than Akaashi).

This time around, Sakusa and Atsumu declare themselves team captains and decide that they’ll choose their members, with Sakusa going first since he won the last round. Akaashi knows that he’ll likely be a last pick, since he’s not exceptionally great at this game, but he’s content with just being with his friends so he doesn’t complain. Instead, he holds Bokuto’s hand as they wait to be chosen, comforting him and promising him that he’ll make up for the betrayal to him.

Sakusa chooses Osamu first, to Atsumu’s extreme displeasure. He claims that that choice isn’t fair, since Osamu is basically an extension of Atsumu’s body, but everyone ignores him. 

Once the teams are decided, they buy another set of tickets and enter the arena. Sakusa’s team is comprised of Osamu, Hinata, Kageyama, Tsukishima, and Bokuto. Atsumu has Akaashi, Daichi, Kuroo, Iwaizumi, and Yamaguchi.

Once they’re in the arena, Atsumu leads them to the opposite fortress than where Akaashi was in the previous match. They move quickly across the floor, as if they weren’t hockey players and figure skaters, but instead secret covert operatives on their way to complete a mission. Akaashi loved the thrill of the game.

Atsumu’s team crouches down to begin their battle plan and Akaashi knows that they’re going to lose, but at least they’ll lose in style.

“Daichi, Iwaizumi, I want you two on the ground to take out whoever they send out. The rest of us will stay in the fortress and pick them off,” Atsumu tells the group, the two forward scouts nodding and heading off. The set up time ends and the dramatic music fills the arena. 

Akaashi slowly moves over the edge of the fortress, peeking over the edge and scanning the proximity for any movement. The darkness of the arena coupled with the blasting music is enough to knock Akaashi off of his top game (not that he was a laser tag specialist or anything), but the adrenaline helps him maintain control. 

The raven haired man spots a tuft of orange hair and trains his gun at him, shooting one, twice before confirming his hit. He ducks down as fire is returned by what Akaashi guesses is Hinata’s backup. After a few seconds, Akaashi pops back up, scanning quickly to find the culprit. He is hit in the chest and the pulsing color disappears, alerting him that he must wait five seconds until he can fire again. In that time, Kuroo, who was crouched not too far from Akaashi, comes out of his hiding spot and shoots both members of the opposing team. The black haired boys look at each other and give a quick thumbs up before ducking down to avoid getting shot.

The game goes by quickly, Akaashi spending most of the time firing and getting fired at in quick intervals. He smiles as they exit the arena, high fiving his team. In all honesty, he knows they lost and he knows that he probably scored not so hot compared to the rest of his team, but he doesn’t mind. Seeing Yamaguchi’s face light up as he shot an unsuspecting Bokuto in the back was enough to make Akaashi want to play another few rounds. So, they did. The team played for the remainder of the day, even Kenma and Suga abandoning Oikawa to join in on the fun during one round, to Oikawa’s dismay. 

They play until the sun goes down and Akaashi is content. The group disperses with promises of seeing each other tomorrow and Akaashi is grateful that he has such amazing friends. Once he’s in the car with Bokuto, who has been complaining about how Kuroo always singled him out and would go after him during every round, Akaashi grabs his face and gives him a gentle kiss. Bokuto shut up quickly, reciprocating the kiss. It’s slow and intimate and the perfect way to end the evening.

-

Akaashi wakes up the next morning to his phone blaring Bokuto’s ringtone at the ungodly hour of 5 AM. He considers not answering and going back to sleep, but he knows that Bokuto will keep calling and eventually show up to bother him in person. Akaashi grumbles, rolling over and blindly grabbing for his phone. It takes him a few attempts for him to finally be able to reach his ringing device, but he eventually does.

“Kou?” Akaashi answers, his voice laced with sleep that hasn’t had the chance to leave yet. 

“Keiji! Take a shower and get dressed!” Bokuto’s voice is too loud this early in the morning, but Akaashi doesn’t have the energy to pull it away from his ear.

“Huh?” Akaashi answers, blinking and slowly sitting up.

“Go take a shower and get dressed,” Bokuto repeats. “I’m waiting outside!”

Now that got Akaashi’s attention. If he wasn’t awake before, he surely was now.

“You’re outside?” Akaashi asks, his feet hitting the floor as he prepares himself to get up.

“Yep! Now, hurry up!” Bokuto exclaims, then the line goes dead. Akaashi stares at his phone for a few seconds, before putting it down and getting up. He pads over to the bathroom and turns the water on the hottest setting. Akaashi showers quicker than he has in a while, partly due to the insane heat and partly due to his curiosity. Bokuto was a morning person, of course, but being outside at 5 AM on a winter morning? It wasn’t the most sane thing for anyone, regardless of preferences.

Akaashi finishes in record time, combing his hair and getting dressed in warm, yet stylish clothing. He sticks with a simple black turtleneck with a coat over top and sleek, grey pants. He knew his assets and was not ashamed of them, particularly when it came to Bokuto. Akaashi grabbed his pocket contents and headed out, closing the door behind him. 

As he boarded the elevator and headed downstairs, his phone began to blow up with birthday messages.

**[text conversation with: sk9er boys]**

_ p(r)etty boy: _ happy birthday kei-chan!!!!!! ;-)

_ sunshine on skates: _ have a great day :D happy bday from me, kageyama, tsukishima, and yamaguchi!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

_ Sakusa Kiyoomi: _ Happy birthday, Akaashi.

_ mom: _ happy day of birth, see you later!!

_ Iwaizumi Hajime: _ Happy birthday, Akaashi! 

_ kurokat: _ HAPPY BDAY!!! kenma says happy bday too but he’s playing a game lol

_ Dadchi: _ Happy birthday, Akaashi! Here’s to many more!

Akaashi smiled at his phone, typing a quick thank you message to everyone. He was thankful for the new additions to their friend group and their willingness to accept him, despite Akaashi being quiet and awkward. They all took this in stride, filling in the spaces that Akaashi left blank. They were like a family.

The elevator dings, announcing its arrival in the foyer. As soon as Akaashi walks out, the only thing he can see is Bokuto standing in the middle of the foyer, holding the largest bouquet of lilac lilies, dressed in a cute sweater and black pants. Akaashi stops, taking a deep breath. His mouth is too dry, his hands are too clammy, and he can feel his eyes begin to water. Never in his life has he had someone go so far out of their way for him, to bring him flowers at 5 AM when the hotel lobby is deserted, minus the staff. Bokuto has the biggest smile on his face when he notices his company, extending the flowers out, despite them having about twenty feet between them.

Akaashi’s feet move before his brain can function and the space in between the boys is diminishing quicker than Akaashi cares to note. Once he’s within arms reach of Bokuto, he lightly nudges the flowers out of the way and embraces the hockey player, who reciprocates and lifts the skater up as if he was weightless. To Bokuto, he likely was. Did he lift? Likely. Akaashi has seen his biceps and he’s certain that he must do  _ something _ to maintain that form, but he has time to think about that later. Right now, the beefy man is in front of him and Akaashi couldn’t be happier.

“Happy birthday, Keiji,” Bokuto whispers, placing a kiss on his companion’s temple. His arms tighten around the skater before he sets him down and extends the flowers once more. Akaashi accepts them bashfully, his face heating up as the attention of the room suddenly catches up to him.

“Would you like to come upstairs while I put these in a vase?” Akaashi offers, glancing around the room. The receptionists can pretend to not be looking as much as they want, but Akaashi can tell by their grins that he’s definitely going to be their gossip for the day. 

“Sure!” Bokuto exclaims, already heading towards the elevator. “Though, we have a full day of birthday plans ahead of us, so we can’t stay too long!”

Akaashi nearly asks what those plans are, but he knows that Bokuto likes to keep surprises, so he placates himself by looking over the lilies and leaning against his boyfriend. Once in Akaashi’s room, the raven haired man fills a beautiful vase that he received from his grandmother years ago with water and places the lilies in it. He puts the vase on his small table in the kitchen, then turns to find Bokuto. The man in question is sprawled on Akaashi’s bed, humming to a song. 

Akaashi wastes no time joining Bokuto on the bed. He curls up against the black and white haired man’s side, playing with the hem of his shirt. Bokuto’s arm tightens around Akaashi’s shoulders, pulling him even closer. They lay like that for seconds, minutes, hours. Akaashi dozes off, content with the smell of Bokuto’s cologne mixing with the smell of the flowers and the warmth that is offered by the hockey’s player’s embrace. He feels safe and warm, a perfect environment to lull him back to sleep, especially with the cold of the outdoors threatening them as snow hits the window. 

Eventually, Bokuto stirs and disrupts their rest. Akaashi groans, wishing that they could stay like this for the rest of the day. It is his birthday after all and Bokuto can’t say no to him. He considers pulling that card, but the looks on Bokuto’s face when he tells Akaashi that they have to go out is enough to give him the energy he needs to get through the day of activities.

Once they’re in the car, Akaashi can’t help his curiosity.

“Where are we going?” Akaashi asks, turning his body to face Bokuto’s. They were holding hands, with Bokuto, of course, paying attention to the road and Akaashi looking wistfully out the window at the beautiful snow. The hockey player glances over, trying his best to keep a poker face (but failing miserably).

“Nowhere,” Bokuto quickly replies, bringing their hands to the radio to turn it up in order to drown out Akaashi’s questioning. The raven haired man rolls his eyes, contenting himself with not knowing. The drive is longer than Akaashi thought it would be, as they leave the familiar resort town and drive to the next town over. Once they arrive, Bokuto runs out of the car to let Akaashi out.

“You don’t have to do that every time we’re in the car together,” Akaashi tells him, gratefully accepting Bokuto’s help getting out. The hockey player puffs out his chest, letting out a scoff.

“What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t make your birthday perfect?” Bokuto asks, putting a hand on his chest, as if he was offended by Akaashi’s statement. The offense is short-lived as Bokuto slides his warm, calloused hand into Akaashi’s, swinging their arms as they travel down the snowy sidewalk. Every so often, Bokuto points out the birds that are still in town, albeit there were so few.

Bokuto leads them to a quaint shop at the end of the block, opening the door and letting him in. Akaashi is grateful for the warmth of the building, shaking the snow off of his head. He looks around, his eyes growing wide at the realization of where they were.

“Koutarou, is this-” Akaashi starts.

“Yep!” Bokuto grins, slinging an arm over his boyfriend’s shoulders. 

Akaashi, despite his cold skin, feels his heart warm. Bokuto had taken him to a cat cafe that Akaashi had no idea even existed in this part of the country, due to the small population and surely a lack of demand. Akaashi wasted no time pushing Bokuto to the front desk, where they were led to a table. Once they sat down, Akaashi was immediately swarmed with cats, big and small. He loved the attention he got from them, all wanting to be pet and loved. Bokuto had his own parade of cats, purring loudly as he held as many as he could fit into his large, muscular arms. 

“What can I get you two?” The server asked with a familiar voice. Akaashi looked up from the cat who was currently nibbling on his coat to see none other than Kuroo dressed in the cafe’s uniform with his usual smirk gracing his lips. Akaashi couldn’t even find it in him to make fun of Kuroo for the outfit, as he was so caught up in literally everything else happening.

“Hot chocolate! Oh, and a chocolate croissant!” Bokuto exclaims, cradling an obscene amount of cats in his arms. Kuroo ruffles his best friend’s hair, eliciting a  _ Hey! _ from Bokuto. Kuroo jots the order down, turning towards Akaashi.

“What can I get you, birthday boy?” Kuroo asks, giving one of the cats a scratch behind the ear.

“A latte, please,” Akaashi says. “And a chocolate croissant, as well.”

“You got it!” Kuroo finishes writing down their order, sending them a salute as he walks back towards where Akaashi thinks the kitchen is. 

Akaashi looks over at Bokuto with a fond smile on his face as the man tries to fit yet another cat in his lap. He is, surprisingly, successful. However, it is an awfully tight fit and Akaashi’s heart swells at the sight.

He wishes that he could stay in this moment forever, with the cute cats and the man that he-

Oh. 

That he  _ loves _ .

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how did you guys like the chapter??? the next chapter will be birthday pt2, i'm excited for it. there will be some conflict introduced at the end of it! 
> 
> leave some comments and kudos! :-)

**Author's Note:**

> hi!! please leave comments and kudos!


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